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Activists’ manifesto: ‘Property damage is not violent; condoning rape is.’
At around 3 a.m. early this morning, Cornell University activists angry at the alleged rape of a student by members of a fraternity trashed the school’s main administrative building via smashed windows and red spray-painted messages.
The Cornell Daily Sun reports the Day Hall graffiti read “SMASH THE PATRIARCHY” and “AT CORNELL RAPISTS ARE PROTECTED PROTESTORS ARE EXPELLED,” while “shards” of broken glass from destroyed windows “litter[ed] the entryway and the floor” of the entrance.
The alleged sexual assault of “Jane Doe” in 2024 by members of the Chi Phi fraternity was addressed by Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff on Saturday. He called the situation “deeply disturbing” and said it “will weigh heavily on our community for years to come.”
Former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi withdrew from an October 15 Cornell Institute of Politics and Global Affairs event over the allegations.
In a statement to the Sun, the activists behind the vandalism wrote they were “motivated by both the lawsuit” and “the global systems of power that allowed this to happen in the first place.”
They defended their actions as “nonviolent”: “We reject the dogma that would condemn our actions this morning as violent while excusing rape. Property damage is not violent; condoning rape is.”
The activists further noted they wanted “to ensure” that Day Hall “was not able to continue business as usual.”
When asked about their goals for the demonstration, the activists wrote that they are calling for the “abolition of [Interfraternity Council] greek life on campus, resignation or termination of the named administration officials, the replacement of Cornell’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards with a democratic disciplinary system, and expulsion/revocation of degrees for all Chi Phi members involved in the rape,” in a statement to The Sun.
The alleged rape was a product of “morally corrupt systems” at Cornell and around the world, the activists wrote. They added that these systems have “historically punished women for speaking out about sexual violence.”
Vandalism at Cornell this morning. Anonymous activists smashed glass doors and painted messages on Cornell’s main administration building in response to the Chi Phi case and demanded major changes at Cornell. https://t.co/DZkGzjk7Um
— Jenifer Vogt 🪷 Warmth, Wit & Desire (@thatjenifervogt) October 5, 2026
The activists’ manifesto called out President Kotlikoff and other university officials for “condoning rape,” “cultivating […] a culture that emboldens rapists in their actions,” and “suspending nonviolent protestors” who had demonstrated against the “genocide” in Gaza.
It concluded by demanding Cornell officials “resign and turn power over to the students and the workers, the people who truly care about this campus and want nothing but justice and liberation for themselves and their peers.”
In a statement a few hours after the incident, Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball wrote “We understand the frustration and strong emotions being expressed across our community. Those concerns deserve to be heard, but damaging property is not the answer.
“We are investigating the vandalism at Day Hall and will address it in accordance with University policy and applicable law.”
MORE: Student accused of rape sues Cornell for ignoring massive evidence in his favor
