GMU’s Students for Justice in Palestine returns from suspension with a masked propaganda video echoing Hamas rhetoric and calling for Israel’s elimination.
The George Mason University (GMU) chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has ignited a firestorm after releasing a recruitment video on Instagram that openly parrots Hamas propaganda just as the fall semester begins.
The August 24 video features a masked activist with a voice distorter, accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza while branding the United States the “belly of the beast.” The speaker also lashed out at American universities, including GMU itself, for allegedly backing U.S. military power.
The video calls on students to join the fight for “Palestinian liberation from the river to the sea,” a slogan widely understood as a call for the eradication of Israel. It even plays a song glorifying slain Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, killed in an Israeli airstrike in July 2024.
Notably absent from the video is any mention of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terrorist massacre in Israel, where thousands of civilians were murdered, raped, and kidnapped.
🚨 Troubled History of GMU SJP
The video comes less than a year after the GMU SJP chapter was suspended in November 2024, when police raided the home of two members, Jena and Noor Chanaa, uncovering weapons and terror flags. The sisters were also accused of vandalizing GMU’s Wilkins Plaza earlier that year.
Despite the controversy, GMU allowed the group to re-register for the 2025 fall semester.
GMU spokesman John Hollis confirmed the reinstatement but emphasized the university’s zero-tolerance policy, adding that officials are consulting Virginia’s Attorney General to determine whether the new video is protected speech or crosses into illegal advocacy of terror.
🔎 Nationwide Crackdown on SJP
The GMU case is the latest in a string of disciplinary actions against SJP chapters across U.S. campuses:
- George Washington University suspended SJP in 2023 after anti-Israel messages were projected onto its library; the group has since been barred from campus until at least 2026.
- Columbia University suspended both SJP and Jewish Voice for Peace in November 2023 for repeatedly violating event policies.
- Brandeis University revoked recognition of SJP outright, accusing the group of “openly supporting Hamas.”
- University of Maryland canceled an SJP anti-Israel vigil permit, prompting the group to file a federal lawsuit.
- Adelphi University placed its SJP chapter on probation in 2025, citing social media posts that fostered a hostile environment for Jewish students.
The controversy underscores growing concerns that campus SJP chapters have shifted from political activism to direct promotion of Hamas rhetoric, leaving universities struggling to balance free speech with safety and security.
