The former president of the leading professional psychology association in the United States, the American Psychological Association, reacted to Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel by likening Gazans to George Floyd and Jews to racist police officers, internal emails obtained by the House Committee on Education and Workforce show.
Counseling psychologist Cynthia de las Fuentes made the comparison in an email sent to another association leader, Pepperdine University psychology professor Thema Bryant, on Oct. 12, 2023, five days after Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 innocent Jews.
Bryant, who served as association president at the time, sent de las Fuentes, the organization's president-elect, the group's statement on the attack , which condemned "the recent violent attack by Hamas on Israel" but added that the "situation is complicated." It did not include the word "terrorism." De las Fuentes responded, referencing criticism from "writers" who pointed to a more pointed