University of Florida’s (UF) Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter took down a cartoon from its social media platforms that Jewish groups have criticized as blatantly antisemitic.
The cartoon, which was posted to UF SJP’s Facebook and Twitter accounts to commemorate Nakba Day on May 15, depicts an Israeli soldier with a sinister grin and hooked nose opening a window. The Twitter account BDS Report described it as “depicting Jews as a vampire-like creature. Their image is eerily similar to Nazi-era cartoons.”
University of Florida SJP posted an antisemitic cartoon depicting Jews as a vampire-like creature. Their image is eerily similar to Nazi-era cartoons. Tell @UF to condemn @SJPUF's vile antisemitic posts. pic.twitter.com/ztYw7ING2b
— BDS Report (@BDSreport) May 18, 2020
On May 26, UF SJP announced on Facebook and Twitter that were going to use a different graphic from the same cartoonist.
“The original featured a cartoon by the Palestinian artist Naji al-Ali, most famous for the Handala character,” the student group wrote.
UF SJP added: “Without such context, the cartoon was misunderstood in a way that detracted from the message of our post, which is to commemorate the beginning of the Nakba, show its continuation today, and promote awareness of Palestinian history and culture.”