Iowa Democrats Demand Removal of Student Democrats Over Anti-Israel Position

The Iowa Democratic Party called for the resignations Wednesday of several University of Iowa Democratic student leaders after they signed a letter expressing support for Palestinians that included “problematic anti-semitic slogans.”

“The Iowa Democratic Party was recently made aware of a statement made by University Democrats at Iowa, which included problematic anti-semitic slogans including ‘from the river to the sea Palestine will be free,'” the party said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “Let’s be very clear. That is a call for Jewish genocide and we wholly condemn that offensive language.

“The Iowa Democratic Party stands with the innocent civilians, Israeli and Palestinian, that have had their lives ruined by the terrorist group Hamas,” it added, saying it had requested the resignations of the students who signed the letter.

According to The Daily Iowan, the independent student newspaper of the University of Iowa, the letter was signed by University Democrats Vice President Kiana Shevling-Major, Secretary Olivia Martin, and Treasurer Matthew Charles.

Shevling-Major told the student paper that the phrase “from the river to the sea” was used to express support for Palestinians “who are currently being held hostage in their own land, from the river of Jordan to the sea of the Mediterranean.”

The phrase was not intended to advocate for the genocide of Israelis but rather for the freedom of Palestinians, she said.

According to Shevling-Major, the statement created intense backlash from social media users, as well as a request to retract it by the Johnson County Democrats and multiple Iowa state representatives.

The University Democrats at Iowa later amended the letter, ending with the statement “May every Palestinian live long and free.”

The corrected post was removed less than an hour after being put up, according to the Iowan.

In a written statement to the student newspaper, Shevling-Major said, “I refuse to apologize for supporting Palestine.

“I refuse to stop calling out oppression when I see it,” she said. “I refuse to be silenced, and I will continue to use my platform to advocate for the human rights of those being denied them, wherever they may be.”

Elsewhere in the Hawkeye State, the Iowa State University College Democrats notified the Iowa Democratic Party on Thursday of the group’s decision to disaffiliate with the state party. The decision was “driven by several factors, one of which is the way the IDP has treated the University of Iowa Democrats.”

“We believe in the importance of unity and solidarity among college Democratic clubs across the state, and the recent events involving the University of Iowa Democrats have deeply troubled us,” the Iowa State group said. “It is essential for us to align ourselves with an organization that upholds the values of inclusivity, respect, and fairness.”

The war between Israel and Hamas began Oct. 7 after Hamas militants broke through Israel’s border wall and unleashed a brutal attack in the southern part of the country that left 1,400 Israelis dead.