BUZZ
Two prominent Jewish and pro-Israel student groups at Cornell University have condemned the invitation of leftist provocateur Hasan Piker, arguing the upcoming speech is meant to serve as a provocation, not an attempt at exploration and civil discourse.
Piker, a far-left political commentator who once said “America deserved 9/11,” is scheduled to speak at the Ivy League institution on Thursday at the behest of Students Not Bombs, a coalition of the groups Jewish Voice for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine, and Young Democratic Socialists of America.
While Cornellians for Israel and Cornell Hillel stopped short of calling for Piker to be disinvited, their statements condemned his invitation as purposely malicious.
“Mr. Piker’s appearance will take place just days after Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, a day centered on reflection and teshuvah, repentance. In that spirit, we call on the student groups bringing Mr. Piker to campus to engage in a moment of reflection, introspection, and teshuvah about the impact of inviting to Cornell someone who has called Jews ‘inbred’ and warned that ‘someone will come around and take action … against American Jews,'” said Cornell Hillel in its statement.
“This is incitement, not exploration or debate,” the group added.
Cornellians for Israel, in their statement, pointed out that Piker once suggested that U.S. Sen. Rick Scott should be assassinated, has denied and dismissed the sexual violence of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, joked about campus date rape, and argues America is as bad as the terrorist organization Hezbollah.
The statement asked Students Not Bombs whether they “support these statements,” and if not, “why are you choosing to platform the man who said them?”
According to the Cornell Daily Sun student newspaper: “Tickets for the free event sold out just hours after being released. The venue has a capacity of around 600 people.”
Cornell Law Professor William Jacobson posted on X: “IF YOU EVER WONDERED what it was like in Germany in the 1930s, come to Cornell on September 24. Hasan Piker will be holding an event and the Keffiyeh crowd is working themselves into a frenzy with excitement.”
In a statement regarding the controversy, Jewish Voice for Peace at Cornell said it recognizes “Hasan frequently uses provocative language and that people may strongly disagree with, or be offended by, things he has said.”
“However, we do not believe Hasan Piker is hostile towards Jews. Antisemitism is prejudice against or hatred of Jewish people. Criticism of Israel, Zionism, or U.S. support for Israel should not be treated as evidence of prejudice against Jews.”
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