ITHACA, NY – A Cornell University professor, Russell Rickford, has ignited controversy by describing the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel as “energizing” and “exhilarating” during a campus rally.
The terrorist attack in question resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 199 hostages, according to Israeli news outlet Haaretz.
Rickford, an associate professor specializing in post-World War II African-American political culture among other subjects, made the remarks in a video posted online. “Hamas has shifted the balance of power. Hamas has punctured the illusion of invincibility. That’s what they’ve done!” he said.
The professor continued to elaborate on his sentiments, stating, “It was exhilarating, it was energizing, and if it weren’t exhilarating, by this challenge to this monopoly of violence, by this shifting of the balance of power, then they would not be human. I was exhilarated!”
Rickford is also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, according to local media outlet The Ithaca Voice.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the attacks, promising that Israel’s retaliation would “echo for generations.”
Rickford has previously been noted for anti-Israel stances. According to ProfessorWatch.org, a project by Turning Point USA, he claimed that Israel bore full responsibility for the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The crowd at the campus rally later chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will soon be free,” a slogan interpreted by many as calling for the eradication of Israel.
He later apologized for his hateful message… sort of.
“I apologize for the horrible choice of words that I used in a portion of a speech that was intended to stress grassroots African American, Jewish and Palestinian traditions of resistance to oppression. I recognize that some of the language I used was reprehensible and did not reflect my values,” he said. “As I said in the speech, I abhor violence and the violent targeting of civilians. I am sorry for the pain that my reckless remarks have caused my family, my students, my colleagues and many others in this time of suffering. As a scholar, a teacher, an activist and a father, I strive to uphold the values of human dignity, peace and justice. I want to make it clear that I unequivocally oppose and denounce racism, anti-semitism, Islamophobia, militarism, fundamentalism and all systems that dehumanize, divide and oppress people. “