Chant at University of Pennsylvania Gaza solidarity march misrepresented

"'We want Jewish genocide' ... this is my Alma Mater. This is the University of Pennsylvania. They are cheering for my death & the death of all Jews," says an October 18, 2023 Instagram post.

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Screenshot of an Instagram post taken October 31, 2023

Other iterations of the video spread on Facebook, TikTok and X, formerly known as Twitter.

A cross-border attack by Hamas militants on October 7, the deadliest in Israel's history, killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities. This triggered an all-out war between the Islamist group and Israel which responded with a relentless bombardment of Gaza that the Hamas-run health ministry says has killed more than 8,500 people, including thousands of children.

The conflict has sparked protests around the world, including on US college campuses.

Social media has been used to document the conflict -- but it has also led to a torrent of misinformation online.

The latest posts, which include a video of a march at the University of Pennsylvania, misinterpret what is being said by the protestors.

Penn Students Against the Occupation (PAO) organized an on-campus protest held October 16, which included students and faculty members demonstrating in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

"PAO would like to explicitly state that this claim is false and did not happen whatsoever," the student organization said in an October 18, 2023 statement shared on Instagram (archived here) to address the supposed chant.

They said attendees were chanting: "Israel, Israel, you can't hide, we charge you with genocide," not the phrase: "We want Jewish genocide."

Anti-Semitism has surged at college campuses since the start of the war, with the White House describing the situation as "alarming."

But The Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy group that combats anti-Semitism and extremism, also debunked the claim (archived here), finding the protesters were accusing Israel of genocide and saying: "Non-Israel-related versions of the chant are also used at other types of protests."

The demonstrators used another chant, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," which is often interpreted as anti-Semitic and calling for the dismantling of the Israeli state.

On October 18, university president Elizabeth Magill released a statement supporting peaceful protest as a "feature of campus life," but reminding the community: "Penn will not tolerate and will take immediate action against any incitement to violence or, of course, actual violence."

The Daily Pennsylvanian, the university's student newspaper also addressed the misinformation in an October 19 article.

More of AFP's reporting on misinformation about the Israel-Hamas conflict is available here.