Virginia Military Institute dismisses facts AIM exposed about professor’s role in antisemitic letter, raising concerns over commitment to honor and leadership
December 6, 2024
Virginia Military Institute claims that statements Accuracy in Media made about professor Philip Crane are false.
This is, itself, not true. The reality is that VMI thinks that our statements are unimportant. Given what our statements about Crane are, this makes VMI’s reaction worse.
AIM noted that Crane, a member of VMI’s Class of 2016, attended Columbia University to do his Master’s from 2022 to 2024.
While there, he served as secretary of the SIPA Palestine Working Group. Membership of a student activist group is not a crime, obviously, nor is it normally reprehensible. However, after the events of October 7, 2023 – where 1,200 young people were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists at a peace and music festival – a number of such student groups at Columbia signed this letter. Which included:
The weight of responsibility for the war and casualties undeniably lies with the Israeli extremist government and other Western governments, including the U.S. government, which fund and staunchly support Israeli aggression, apartheid and settler-colonization.
And:
We cannot view the recent actions of Palestinian fighters in isolation.
Well, yes, we can. We insist we ought to as well. Slaughtering 1,200 people. Hauling off young women to be repeatedly raped then slaughtered, their dead bodies to be paraded through the streets. Yes, this can and should be viewed in isolation as a gross evil. On the very simple grounds that this is a gross evil.
This is not complicated. What was done that day was vile, should be condemned as vile and is the moral responsibility of those who did it and of those who did it alone. There is no “Yes, but…” to it at all.
Philip Crane signed that letter. Further, he has not reconsidered – we’re entirely willing to agree that some to all of us have done things as students which upon reflection we shouldn’t have done.
Despite some group leaders distancing themselves from the letter afterward, Crane did not retract his endorsement.
Some of those retracting have done so as a result of our activism. Who knows, perhaps consciences were examined and opinions changed. But not for Crane.
Crane is now a visiting professor at VMI:
Philip Crane was a leader of a student organization that signed a hateful, antisemitic, anti-American proclamation. And now, he has gone on to become a visiting professor at Virginia Military Institute, to educate the very people who will go on to serve our country.
All of the above is simply true. And yet VMI’s response?
We are aware of the allegations made against Philip Crane, a graduate of the VMI Class of 2016 and a visiting professor at VMI, by a self-described activist group. Based on our investigation, we believe the allegations about Crane are false.
Crane did graduate from VMI, sign the letter while at Columbia, the letter does say what it says, and Crane does now teach at VMI. What false allegations?
So VMI is wrong, untruthful, here. But what’s worse:
Virginia Military Institute is committed to providing an environment that emphasizes the dignity and self-worth of every member of our community. We do not tolerate discrimination, hate speech, or speech that would incite violence or racism of any kind. VMI is a place of leadership and honor, rigorous academic exploration, spirited debate, and civil discourse. VMI does not prevent faculty, staff, and cadets from having difficult debates on controversial topics relevant to the contemporary climate. In fact, we encourage it as a fundamental principle necessary in providing cadets a wide range of ideas and concepts while teaching them to critically examine and evaluate information.
Apparently, VMI does so by supporting a “vile anti-American antisemite” and using him to teach at VMI – the place where they do not “tolerate discrimination, hate speech, or speech that would incite violence or racism of any kind.”
That’s worse than simple denial of the basic facts.
Join us in taking action: Visit PhilipCrane.net to send a message to VMI. Columbia failed to hold Crane accountable — demand VMI avoid making the same mistake.