NY Democrat rips 'extremist' who helped organize Syracuse anti-Israel encampment
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (TND) — Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., decried an organizer of Syracuse University’s Gaza solidarity encampment Tuesday, saying their posts regarding Hamas and the war in Gaza are indefensible.
An encampment of over 70 tents has taken over Syracuse’s Quad in protest of the school’s refusal to condemn Israel in its war with Hamas terrorists. Individuals occupying the encampment have allegedly been witnessed “following Jewish students that walk past the tent encampment in an attempt to harass them.” A source told The National Desk (TND) Wednesday protesters are expected to take the encampment down.
TND reported last week convicted killer Eural Warren was staying in the encampment despite being unaffiliated with the university. Students expressed concerns to the administration, leading to Warren’s arrest Friday. The incident has led to outrage from several lawmakers.
Rep. Torres became the latest lawmaker to chime in, condemning Syracuse student A.J. Ruther over their social media posts. A member of the school’s Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Ruther uses they/them pronouns and has been actively involved in organizing the encampment according to their X profile “AJ wants a Free Palestine.”
The profile, according to screenshots acquired by TND, reveals the depth of Ruther’s pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel sentiment.
Hamas is a brutal and evil terrorist organization that perpetrated the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust on October 7,” Rep. Torres told TND. “There is nothing pro-peace about supporting Hamas; it is an explicitly pro-war position.”Ruther in May shared their pride after the encampment surpassed its fifth day, screenshots show. In their post, they touted the work of students who made it a “safe and militant space.”
Several reposts on Ruther’s page express sympathy for Hamas operations. One picture reposted from account #AqsaFlood shows an illustration of a trolley with an RPG aimed at it. Above the vehicle is the Hamas triangle, which it uses to indicate Israeli targets for attack, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute.
Another repost captured via screenshot depicts a fictitious children’s book comparing Zionists and Nazis. The image describes Zionism as a “antisemitic death cult.” Ruther also reposted content reading “death to Israel death to America,” screenshots show.
Elsewhere on the page, Ruther shared a flyer from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) reading “do you commend Hamas?” The image shows a masked figure with a gun carrying a Palestinian flag, with the caption “the PFLP’s best poster yet!”
Any one who would openly support Hamas, such as the sharing of a post reading ‘The PFLP's best poster yet! ... Do You Commend Hamas?’, is pushing extremist rhetoric that celebrates the brutal slaughter of innocent Israeli civilians,” Rep. Torres told TND.Ruther on Tuesday referred TND to the encampment’s media team when reached via phone. They later declined to comment when asked about their stance toward Hamas. Following that call, Ruther’s social media accounts became inaccessible to the public.
On Wednesday, Ruther shared a lengthy statement with TND.
My personal tweets reflect my own views and no one else's, " Ruther wrote. "I also never winessed [sic] any antisemtism [sic] by any member of the Syracuse University Gaza Solidarity Encampment, which was a beautiful community made up of people from all walks of life, including Jewish and Palestinian people organizing together for a common goal of peace and equality for all.""Those who oppose the rise of Hamas should also oppose the role which this Israeli government and the ongoing genocide have played in bolstering Hamas," they added. "I would also question whether Congressman Ritchie Torres’ comments on my retweets come from a place of genuine concern for the safety of Jewish people, or from a desire to spin a false narrative which benefits his Zionist donors. Ritchie Torres has accepted $514,002 in campaign donations from AIPAC, and a total of $1,571,087 from pro-Israel groups, from 2019-2024."
As a DSA leader, Ruther was involved in organizing the Syracuse encampment. An April email sent by Ruther to “syracuse-justice-for-palestine” shows an urgent request for participants to deliver tents and food, screenshots show.
A May email to that same group by Ruther issues an “emergency call to action” to begin rallying outside the school’s Hendricks Chapel, which houses the school’s Hillel. At a DSA meeting discussing the Middle East conflict, Ruther asked the group to “not condemn violence as a form of resistance” when organizing campus activities.
“It hasn’t been as effective as we would have hoped at ending occupation,” Ruther said of peaceful protesting, according to audio from that meeting.
The occupation and not Hamas is the source of all this misery,” that meeting’s agenda reads.“In order to promote a better future for all Israelis and Palestinians, we must move past this extremist and dangerous rhetoric and build bridges, not celebrate terrorists,” Rep. Torres concluded.
Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.
ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7zZqroqeeYsSwvsudZqexXZmyrrvCq5itZaKevbR5xLGrq52dnsC1edahpmaglaG9prCMqKmgmZ6ex6Z50rKpmpulqLJurc2toGaho6eupriMnqWcmZ2luqa602aqrmWlo7a3sdGsoK2xXabCorCMqamorJWowW6%2ByJyfop1dqbyzvsSsZKOdp57AqXnIrKmanZxisra%2BwKVksJmip7Kvec2ermaxn6e4bsHPrKuarJVitrS%2BwJ6jomWglrmmv9OipZ5ll5bHonnHmqSaq12nwrW0xKtknZ2dpLCzrdOimmarn5i2orjIrKusZZ%2BbeqK5xKugnJk%3D