WITH THE Palestinian bid for statehood in the United Nations approaching, the Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine group at the University decided to paint Beta Bridge on the night of Sept. 14. The group painted the words "Palestine deserves a state" with two Palestinian flags surrounding it.
Between the hours of 3 and 8 a.m. the bridge was vandalized with spray paint. Most noticeably, "Palestine" was painted over completely with a block of white paint, and scribbled on top were the words "UVA Athletics UVA." Considering that Beta Bridge is painted over so often, it must be noted that the bridge was not entirely repainted. The message was clear, and the objective was to erase only the word "Palestine."
On the surface, this bias incident may seem a practical joke of little value or consequence to the world, but it is a symptom of a greater problem that is not confined to the University or its members. The attempted erasure of a word that identifies a group of individuals at the University and throughout the world is a testament to the lack of acceptance this group faces. This is especially worrying when we are at an institution that prides itself on the diversity and acceptance fostered among its members.
This is not merely a dispute between a contracted independent organization and a group of vandals. Imagine for a second that instead of "Palestine" the erased writing had been "African-American," "Jewish," "LGBTQ" or "Latino." How would that drastically affect people's perception of the incident?
Whether one sympathizes with the Palestinian or Israeli side - or both - in the conflict is not the issue. The issue is that the Palestinian question constantly is ignored and shoved aside. It is erased from the public eye because it leads to people asking uncomfortable questions and making tough decisions that may or may not affect us directly. Many people who oppose the Palestinian cause try to dismiss the reality of the situation in Palestine because they are unable to accept the Palestinian ethnic group's right to self-determination and dignity.
The objective of this vandalism was to dismiss Palestine, to ignore it, to shove it aside because the perpetrator of the crime is uncomfortable with the reality it presents. Palestinians often are portrayed as aggressors, extremists and uncivilized individuals. If we attempt to describe the unacceptable actions of the vandal, however, these adjectives come to mind.
Regardless of your political opinion on the matter, this act of intolerance is clearly unacceptable and should be condemned by all. We appreciate the support we have received from the Office of the Dean of Students, the Minority Rights Coalition, the Middle Eastern Leadership Council and the Athletics community, who all agree that this act cannot be condoned. For the students affected by the bias incident, this issue brought to light the fact that in a society where freedom of speech is sacred, the way to counter speech is with more speech and not through exclusion.
Dalia Deak, Karla Kreidie El Masri and Sara Obeidat are members of Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine.
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