• The protesters were accused of assault in a video where they attempted to prevent the contractors from painting over the wall.
• The university’s president hired contractors after the administration deemed the messaging as “threatening, intimidating, and antisemitic.”
• The case initiated an investigation into the incident, and since then, someone has painted over the wall with a pro-Israeli message.

Local media reported that the president of a Cleveland university in the US state of Ohio apologized to students after hired contractors sprayed pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the face earlier this week while attempting to cover up a mural.

On Monday night, students from Case Western Reserve University expressed their support for Palestine by painting the Advocacy and Spirit walls. The artwork featured the Palestinian flag and messages such as “I aspire to end the blockade” and “Let’s unite in peace.” Additionally, they highlighted the number of Palestinian children who lost their lives in the Gaza conflict since October.

In response to the unexpected assault by Hamas on October 7th, Israel launched a counterattack resulting in a significant number of casualties in Gaza, primarily among women and children, as reported by the health ministry of the region.

The students accused the contractors of assault in a video where they attempted to prevent the contractors from painting over the wall by standing in front of it. In the video, white paint completely covered one student wearing a face shield.

On Tuesday, the university’s president, Eric Kaler, hired contractors after the administration deemed the messaging as “threatening, intimidating, and antisemitic.” Cleveland.com reported that President Kaler later issued an apology to the community, expressing his disturbance over the incident.

He added: “Let me be clear: No students — or any individuals — should ever be treated this way, especially on a campus where our core values center on providing a safe, welcoming environment. This is not who we are as an institution, and I am deeply sorry this ever occurred.”

In the video, Palestinian-American student Ameer Alkayali, 18, recounted, “I stood against the wall, and the painters asked ‘Should we continue?’ The cops showed general confusion and didn’t tell them to stop. So, as seen in the video, they continue to paint right over us, completely spraying me.”

“They told us not to put our hands in front of the machine because it’s dangerous. And we put our hands up, and they continued to paint on our hands and sprayed us with it.”

The source reports that Alkayali, who has been protesting with Case students since they set up their encampment last week, has previously been detained and released by local police and now declares that he “plans to take legal action against Case’s administration and its public safety department.”

“We were coughing, and it didn’t come out of my skin for hours,” he said. “Like it’s still in my hair. I can see it under my nails, and there was no sort of medical or any assistance with the situation after from Case or local police.”

The case initiated an investigation into the incident, and since then, the wall has been painted over with a pro-Israeli message, which says: “They call for intifada so we call them terrorists.”

“Kaler said the college will ‘hold individuals responsible for this behavior, including the failure of our officers to intervene,’” the source said.

On Wednesday, “Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and the city’s police chief, Annie Todd, urged Kaler and his administration to think of the students’ rights,” the news outlet reported.

“We support First Amendment rights and implore CWRU leadership to consider this and think about how the decisions they make and the actions they take — especially against those who are abiding by the law — will influence some of the progress we have collectively made as a city. At the same time, we urge individuals to demonstrate peacefully,” Bibb and Todd said.

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