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stated on October 17, 2023 an Instagram post:

Video shows University of Pennsylvania students chanting, “We want Jewish genocide.”

False
By Ciara O'Rourke
October 24, 2023

No, UPenn rally did not call for ‘Jewish genocide’

If your time is short

  • Penn Students Against the Occupation, which organized an Oct. 16 rally on the University of Pennsylvania campus, said protesters chanted, "Israel, Israel you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide." The student newspaper corroborated this. 

See the sources for this fact-check

Penn Students Against the Occupation organized a march on the University of Pennsylvania campus Oct. 16, an event that included students and faculty members waving Palestinian flags and chanting in solidarity with those in Palestinian territories. 

Some social media posts, however, have claimed that participants were calling for the death of Jews. 

“‘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,” reads text over a video of people chanting in an Oct. 17 Instagram post.

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Penn Students Against the Occupation, an independent student organization, posted a statement Oct. 18 on Instagram saying that “this claim is false and did not happen whatsoever.” 

“The chant was ‘Israel, Israel you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.’ Members of the press, including The Daily Pennsylvanian, can testify this information is false.” 

The student newspaper called the claims that the group urged Jewish genocide “misinformation.”

The Anti-Defamation League also described the claims as a “false narrative,” noting that “while the audio is hard to hear at times, the demonstrators are actually chanting ‘Israel, Israel you can’t hide: We charge you with genocide’ — a not-uncommon refrain heard at anti-Israel rallies.” 

We rate claims that this video shows University of Pennsylvania students chanting for “Jewish genocide” False.

 
Our Sources

Instagram post, Oct. 17, 2023

Instagram post, Oct. 18, 2023

The Daily Pennsylvanian, Organizers of pro-Palestine rally at Penn clarify chants after misinformation spreads online, Oct. 19, 2023

Anti-Defamation League, ADL Debunk: Myths and False Narratives About the Israel-Hamas War, updated Oct. 18, 2023

 

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