The recent indiscriminate massacre of Israeli civilians by the Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas, has sparked a wave of reactions on social media.
Among those who voiced their opinions was Derron Borders, the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Cornell University's Johnson School of Management. However, instead of denouncing the attacks, Borders shared a post that described the actions of Hamas as "resistance."
Borders' actions have drawn widespread criticism, prompting him to issue a statement denying any support for Hamas. Screenshots obtained by the New York Post show that the post shared by Borders originated from an account named "decolonizethisplace."
The post, which has garnered nearly 40,000 likes as of Wednesday, read, "When you hear about Israel this morning and the resistance being launched by Palestinians, remember against all odds Palestinians are fighting for life, dignity, and freedom alongside others doing the same against settler colonization, imperialism, capitalism, white supremacy, which the United States is the model."
Further posts from the account suggested that Israel had initiated a counter-attack on Gaza "because it was embarrassed by the Palestinian resistance," and was now involved in "state terrorism."
In addition to sharing the post, Borders expressed on his Instagram story, "Fk your fake outrage at Palestine when youve literally been silent about the violence perpetuated by Israel against Palestine every day."
On Monday, Borders issued a statement to clarify his stance. "The atrocities and violence towards innocent people in Israel is absolutely horrifying and should be condemned," he wrote. He added, "the state-sanctioned violence and denial of self-determination for the Palestinian people by the Israeli government is also terrible and should be condemned." Borders' reaction to the weekend's tragic events has been met with strong criticism.
Elon Musk, the renowned entrepreneur, responded by calling Borders a "meathead." Itai Liptz, CEO of RIMAR Capital, noted that posts like those shared by Borders often "incite hatred and promote terror at a time like this."
He added that it was "especially saddening given Mr Borders position, which is one of influence and one that is expected to promote inclusion and harmony." In a statement to the Post, Cornell University acknowledged awareness of the posts, but noted that Borders has been on a leave of absence for several months.
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