On the morning of Sept. 20, an unknown individual spray-painted the John Carroll statue outside Healy Hall with a red triangle and the homecoming “Hoya Saxa” installation with “200K DEAD,” referring to the Palestinians that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have killed since the beginning of the ongoing invasion and bombardment of Gaza. As of noon on Sept. 20, the graffiti has been removed from both.
Georgetown has seen a series of protests since Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostages. Following the attack, Israel launched a bombing campaign and ground invasion of Gaza that has killed 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, and has been criticized by human rights groups for war crimes.
The 200,000 number used on the graffiti derives from an article published in The Lancet medical journal, which estimated that the IDF killed over 186,000 Palestinians by July 2024.
Rosemary Kilkenny, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, and Jay Gruber, Associate Vice President of Public Safety, sent an email notifying the student body about the incident and said the perpetrator is still unknown.
“In reviewing video footage of the area, these acts appear to have been conducted by one individual seen entering campus at 5:15 a.m. GUPD has identified a female wearing a black brimmed baseball style hat, dark glasses and loose fitting black clothing,” they wrote.
Kilkenny and Gruber also wrote that anyone with information about the incident should contact GUPD.
The red triangle drawn on the base of John Caroll has been used by pro-Palestine protesters on college campuses across the U.S. A red triangle, initially used as a symbol during the 1917 Arab Revolt, is part of the Palestinian flag. Since then, the Al-Qassem Brigades, Hamas’s military wing which carried out the Oct. 7 attack, has used the symbol to identify IDF assets before striking them.
This morning, a new Instagram account @georgetownintifada co-posted a video at 9:49 a.m. with @gmuintifada showing an individual spray-painting both the statue and the installation in the early hours of the morning. The video was set to a song by SEB titled “Free Palestine,” and its caption explained the perpetrators’ motivation behind the spray-painting.
“Ahead of Georgetown University’s “homecoming” festivities, autonomous actors sent a message: there is no pride in an institution that funds genocide,” the caption read. “A university that profited off of the sales of enslaved people, and is now profiting off of the genocide of Palestinians. We refuse to let Georgetown celebrate while the blood of over 200,000 Palestinians is on their hands. Cease donations to Georgetown. Demand divestment now.”
The account’s bio says it is “not affiliated with GU or any student/student organization.” Another post of an anonymous submission, at 10:56 a.m., showed a photo of the Hoya Saxa installation, with a caption that reads: “The student intifada will not rest until you divest and end all ties with the genocidal zionist entity.”
The email from Kilkenny and Gruber stressed that the incident was against university policy, and that they will be investigating it as a crime.
“All of us play a role in fostering a community that is inclusive, welcoming, and safe. While we encourage respectful dialogue and civility, we will not tolerate vandalism, harassment or any other acts that violate university policies,” the email read.
