University Slams Post Glorifying Burning Murder

bronze athlete statue on campus at dusk — Photo: Kit Leong / Shutterstock

University of Colorado Boulder’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter sparked outrage after it praised the man who burned a Jewish woman to death and called the attack “the only sane response.”

Quick Take

The group’s post called Mohamed Sabry Soliman’s attack “direct action” and “resistance.”
University leaders said the statement glorified violence and did not reflect campus values.
The University of Colorado Boulder said Students for Justice in Palestine is not a recognized student group.
Soliman received eight consecutive life sentences, which makes the release demand legally unrealistic.

What the Post Said

Multiple reports say the Boulder chapter published a statement that defended Soliman, demanded his release, and urged supporters to “continue the struggle.” The post reportedly described the attack as a response to “the normalization of genocide” and claimed he had taken “direct action” against what it called a “zionist death cult.” The statement was later deleted from Instagram and removed from the group’s homepage, which means the public now depends on news reports for the wording.

The language went far beyond sympathy. Reports say the group called the attack a “decisive act of resistance against a genocidal global order,” rejected the state’s description of Soliman as insane, and said he had made a rational choice. The post also linked the case to broader anti-immigration arguments by calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That framing matters because it tries to turn a deadly act of violence into political theater.

University Leaders Shut It Down

The University of Colorado Boulder responded with a clear public rebuke. The university said glorification of violence is abhorrent and does not reflect its values. University officials also said Students for Justice in Palestine is not a recognized student organization and had lost that status in Fall 2024 because of policy violations. That distinction matters on campus, because it strips the group of the legitimacy it appears to claim in its public statement.

CU Boulder’s Board of Regents went further and formally condemned the post. The regents said harming and killing innocent people is not resistance and should never be celebrated. District Attorney Michael Dougherty also rejected the group’s message, saying the law does not justify setting humans on fire. Those statements leave little room for the idea that the attack was anything other than a brutal crime against innocent people.

Why the Reaction Is Bigger Than One Campus

This episode fits a wider pattern on American campuses, where some anti-Zionist groups have tried to recast violence as moral resistance. Research cited in the background materials says student movements often use themes like self-defense, oppression, and victimhood to justify violence against civilians. Critics say that rhetoric helps normalize conduct that would be condemned immediately in any other setting. Supporters of free speech should not confuse that with a right to glorify murder.

There is also a practical problem for the group’s own defense. The statement no longer appears on the official site or Instagram account, so outsiders cannot inspect the original text directly. That makes the university’s and the media’s accounts the only available record. The result is simple: a campus group that lost recognition years ago used its platform to praise a convicted killer, and the university, regents, and local prosecutor all answered with public condemnation.