(NewsNation) — The father of activist Rachel Corrie, killed in Gaza in 2003, told NewsNation his daughter would not approve of violent protests being done in her name.

A group called “Rachel Corrie’s Ghost Brigade” claimed responsibility for torching 17 police cars in Portland, Oregon. The group said it knew the police were going to clear out protesters at Portland State University, where a pro-Palestine protest was taking place.

The group took its name from activist Rachel Corrie, an American woman who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer while protesting the Israeli army’s destruction of Palestinian homes in Gaza. Corrie said her dream was to give the poor a chance and save lives in the Middle East.

Her father, Craig Corrie, said the family does not approve of the group’s actions.

“They’ve co-opted Rachel’s name for a use that she never would have approved of,” Corrie said.

Corrie noted that all pro-Palestine protests have not been violent. He pointed specifically to Evergreen State College, where he and his wife visited a peaceful encampment where students, with help from faculty, were negotiating with the school to bring an end to the protest.

“They came to an agreement. The administration has agreed to form a task force to work on trying to make the campus a better place,” he said.

Corrie said that amid conflicting views over the war between Israel and Hamas, the country must come together to address antisemitism and Islamophobia.

He said his personal connection to Palestinians in Gaza drives home the impact of the conflict but recognized the toll on both sides.

“I understand the immediacy people are feeling, like they have to stop this genocide that’s going on in Gaza. Those are our friends that are being killed,” Corrie said. “But we’ve also been to the other side of that fence. We’ve been in the area that was attacked on October 7, and the loss of life is horrendous.”