Demand that USC Bring Back Jewish Professor John Strauss
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A pro-Palestinian demonstration was held at Tommy Trojan at USC. As Professor John Strauss walked past the rally, he heard them chanting "Down with Israel" and "From the river to the sea…." In response, Professor Strauss stated, "Israel forever; Hamas are murderers." He then proceeded to his class.
Later, while passing by the demonstration on his way back to his office from class, individuals initiated an attack on the Jewish professor. They proclaimed: "Shame on you, Professor Strauss."
In response, Professor Strauss defends himself: "No, shame on you. You are ignorant. Really ignorant," states Professor Strauss. "Hamas are murderers. That's all they are. Every one should be killed. And I hope they all are." Multiple other students chimed in on the verbal assault and arose from their seats to come closer to the Professor. After these events, one student in particular started lunging at Professor Strauss aggressively, intending to attack him. Other students had to step up and hold the student back.
Professor Strauss explicitly identified Hamas terrorists as the problem, not Palestinian civilians. There is recorded proof of this specific encounter circulating, and there were several eyewitnesses.
Mischaracterized Video Footage and Supporting Evidence:
However, the manipulation of video footage falsely portrays Professor Strauss as calling for every Palestinian to die. This mischaracterization is reprehensible. The distorted video was strategically crafted to omit crucial context, editing it down to Professor Strauss only saying: "Should all be killed." This video from @TrojansForPalestine is still up and has attracted over 80,000 views and counting.
Influencer @ShaunKing (5+ million followers), in a joint Instagram post with @CravingPalestine, falsely claimed in the caption of their video, "USC Professor John Strauss threatened these students' hope you get killed, and I hope they all are (*Gaza)' during a campus rally for Gaza. We call on USC to terminate this professor immediately." This deceptive video has now gone viral, amassing over 3 million views.
Much of the videos and images from the incident are laden with text that further distorts what actually occurred. Examples from various social media accounts, both influential and regular, claim that Professor Strauss said, 'All Palestinians Should Be Killed' (source Instagram: @TrojansForPalestine) and 'Professor at UCS [sic] Wants all Palestinians to be Killed' (source Instagram: @graduatetalks.pk), highlighting the alarming speed at which false content is being generated and disseminated. Many more accounts are posting deceptively cropped video footage and images.
The ongoing smear campaign against Professor Strauss, coupled with the manipulation of facts perpetuated by the Muslim Student Union (@msu.usc) in their Instagram statement on November 9, 2023, has led to an incredibly distressing situation.
He has been placed on forced administrative leave with full pay due to the false accusations and manipulated reporting that have fueled calls for his termination. This means he is not allowed on campus and must teach his class through Zoom.
SIGN THE PETITION TO BRING HIM BACK
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