News/Commentary

NYU Law student president loses coveted job offer for saying Hamas savagery ‘necessary,’ faulting Israel

October 11, 2023 | | Print Article

The former president of NYU Law School’s Student Bar Association is now out of a job thanks to her decision to condemn Israel and even the U.S. for Hamas’ terror attack.

Ryna Workman, a so-called “non-binary” student who’s in fact a black biological woman, responded to the horrific terror attack in Israel by publishing a notice in a school-wide newsletter accusing Israel of bearing the blame for the attack.

“I want to express, first and foremost, my unwavering and absolute solidarity with Palestinians in their resistance against oppression toward liberation and self-determination,” the notice reads.

“Israel bears full responsibility for this tremendous loss of life. This regime of state-sanctioned violence created the conditions that made resistance necessary. I will not condemn Palestinian resistance,” it continues.

Workman continued her screed by condemning everything and everyone except for Hamas.

“I condemn the violence of apartheid. I condemn the violence of settler colonialism. I condemn the violence of dispossession and stolen homes. I condemn the violence of trapping thousands in an open-air prison. I condemn the violence of collective punishment. I condemn the violence of phosphorous bombs,” she wrote.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I condemn the violence of the United States military-industrial complex. I condemn the violence of obfuscating genocide as a ‘complex issue.’ I condemn the violence in labeling oppressed people as ‘animals.’ I condemn the violence in removing historical context. I condemn the violence of silence. Palestine will be free,” she concluded.

The backlash to her notice has been swift and deafening.

First, Winston & Strawn LLP, a law firm that had been on the verge of hiring Workman, announced that it was rescinding its job offer to her.

“Today, Winston & Strawn learned that a former summer associate published certain inflammatory comments regarding Hamas’ recent terrorist attack on Israel and distributed it to the NYU Student Bar Association. These comments are profoundly in conflict with Winston & Strawn’s values as a firm. Accordingly, the Firm has rescinded the law student’s offer of employment,” the firm said in a statement.

Look:

ADVERTISEMENT

Second, the Student Bar Association initiated a process to boot Workman.

“This evening, the SBA Board voted to initiate the removal of the SBA President. As required in Art. 9, Sec. 1.1 of the SBA Constitution, the SBA will conduct a hearing between October 17th and 24th as part of our removal procedures,” the board said in a statement.

Look:

ADVERTISEMENT

Third, NYU released a statement distancing itself from Workman.

“The statement issued by the Student Bar Association does not in any way reflect the point of view of NYU. Acts of terrorism are immoral,” the statement reads in reference to Workman’s statement (that the board has since condemned).

“The indiscriminate killing of civilians and hostage-taking, including children and the elderly, is reprehensible. Blaming victims of terrorism for their own deaths is wrong,” the statement continues.

Fourth, individual students began calling her out to the New York Post.

“It just struck me as inappropriate, especially considering the death count and the fact that so many Israelis are being held captive. You’re free to have an opinion, but to voice it so publicly and so unequivocally without even acknowledging that a literal massacre took place seems, at the very least, insensitive,” an NYU freshman told the Post.

ADVERTISEMENT

“There are a lot of students at NYU who I’m sure have family in Israel, and whatever you feel about Israeli injustices towards Palestinians, is now really the time to issue a f–k you to people who are worried sick about their relatives?” the freshman continued.

An unnamed NYU sophomore added that it seemed like Workman was “using her [sic] elected leadership position as a soapbox to spew her opinions about things that have absolutely nothing to do with NYU law school.”

“Her views certainly don’t represent those of the NYU student body — not mine, anyway. There’s no interpretation of the events that occurred Saturday morning outside of that terrorists carried out a planned attack on civilians and started a war. There’s no justification for it. It’s shameful, and embarrassing that I have to be associated with it,” the sophomore continued.

Sadly, Workman is one of many, many, many students throughout the country who’ve aligned themselves with Hamas over Israel.

Vivek Saxena
Latest posts by Vivek Saxena (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles