- A Cornell University professor called the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel "exhilarating" and "energizing."
- History professor Russell Rickford made the comments during a pro-Palestinian rally.
A Cornell University history professor called the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel "exhilarating" and "energizing" — and now outraged students at the Ivy League college and others want the educator fired.
Associate professor Russell Rickford made the controversial remarks during a pro-Palestinian rally near the Ithaca, New York, university on Sunday, according to The Cornell Daily Sun, the school's student newspaper.
Rickford said that the Palestinian militant group Hamas — which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and other nations — "challenged the monopoly of violence" when it launched its surprise attacks on Israel earlier this month.
More than 1,400 people were killed in Hamas' attacks and dozens more were taken hostage by Hamas fighters from Gaza, according to Israeli officials.
"In those first few hours, even as horrific acts were being carried out, many of which we would not learn about until later — there are many Gazans of goodwill, many Palestinians of conscience, who abhor violence, as do you, as do I, who abhor the targeting of civilians, as do you, as do I — who were able to breathe," Rickford said during the rally, video shows.
The professor continued, "They were able to breathe for the first time in years. It was exhilarating. It was energizing. And if they weren't exhilarated by this challenge to the monopoly of violence, by this shifting of the balance of power, then they would not be human. I was exhilarated."
In the aftermath of Rickford's remarks, online petitions emerged calling for his removal from Cornell University. One, which garnered more than 1,400 signatures on the website iPetitions.com, described Rickford's comments as "inappropriate," "offensive," and "divisive."
The petition alleged that Rickford's comments violated Cornell University's core values and promoted a "disregard for the value of human life."
Rickford's "justification of the Hamas terrorist attacks as a tool to shift the balance of power could lead to violent targeting of the Cornell Jewish community," the petition says.
A Change.org petition calling for Rickford's firing said that the professor's "hate speech" is "not only abhorrent but also against the principles of humanity."
"This kind of behavior is unacceptable from an individual who holds a position that influences young minds," reads the petition that has more than 1,200 signatures.
Rickford did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Insider on Tuesday.
Cornell University President Martha Pollack said in a Monday statement that she was "sickened by statements glorifying the evilness of Hamas terrorism."
"Any members of our community who have made such statements do not speak for Cornell; in fact, they speak in direct opposition to all we stand for at Cornell. There is no justification for or moral equivalent to these violent and abhorrent acts," Pollack said.
Pollack and Cornell University Board of Trustees Chair Kraig Kayser called Rickford's remarks "reprehensible" in a statement to Insider on Tuesday and noted the school is "taking this incident seriously and is currently reviewing it consistent with our procedures."
"We learned yesterday of comments that Professor Russell Rickford made over the weekend at an off-campus rally where he described the Hamas terrorist attacks as 'exhilarating,'" the statement read. "This is a reprehensible comment that demonstrates no regard whatsoever for humanity."
Pollack and Kayser's statement also referenced Pollack's Monday statement.
Meanwhile, Rickford did not backtrack on his comments in an interview with The Cornell Daily Sun.
"What I was referring to is in those first few hours, when they broke through the apartheid wall, that it seemed to be a symbol of resistance, and indeed a new phase of resistance in the Palestinian struggle," Rickford told the student newspaper.
He added, "I want to make it clear that Hamas is a fundamentalist organization. It's important to note that in some ways, the fundamentalism of Hamas mirrors that of Israeli leadership."
Cornell student Ethan Glezer, whose parents are both Israeli, told the newspaper that Rickford's comments at the rally "were directly in support of violence."
As a result of the attacks by Hamas, Israel declared war, launching retaliatory air strikes in Gaza and killing more than 2,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Since violence broke out, other professors and students at top institutions have faced backlash for their comments about the conflict.