Let me be clear: We abhor all expressions of anti-Semitism and wholeheartedly reject the role of anti-Semitism on our campus. Similarly, we believe it is dangerous to confuse criticism of Israel or Zionism with anti-Semitism. Equating any critique of the state with inherent racism endangers fundamental democratic freedoms on and off campus. As the ACLU said in a statement in November, if a university regulates the opinions of its faculty and students, no matter how much one of us disagrees with or finds it offensive, the university will It cannot fulfill its mission as a forum for lively discussion.”
Amid a nationwide wave of crackdowns on pro-Palestinian speech, students have had their scholarships stripped, job offers revoked and student organizations suspended. In Colombia, demonstrators reported being sprayed with a substance believed to be Skunk, a chemical weapon used by the Israeli military. At Northwestern University, two black students faced criminal charges for publishing a parody of a pro-Palestinian newspaper, but the charges were later dropped. At Cornell University, students were arrested during peaceful protests. In a shocking incident of violence last fall, three Palestinian students, two of whom were wearing kaffiyeh, were shot and killed as they walked near the University of Vermont.
As we write this article, more instances of student oppression on campus are occurring.
Academic freedom, as defined by the American Association of University Professors in the mid-twentieth century, protects the pursuit of knowledge by faculty whose mission is to teach, learn, and research both within and outside the academy. Not only does this resonate with constitutional freedom of speech protections, but international human rights law also affirms the centrality of academic freedom to the right to education and the institutional autonomy of educational institutions.
Attacks on free speech are on the rise across the United States. In recent years, right-wing groups opposed to the teaching of critical race theory have pushed back through measures such as restricting discussion of history and structural racism in the curriculum and increasing oversight of lectures and courses seen as promoting dissenting views. It seeks to undermine these principles. Disciplinary procedures for academics working on these topics.
What people may not realize is that speech critical of Israel's occupation and apartheid policies has long been censored, posing an enduring challenge to those of us who champion academic freedom. Well before October 7, speech and actions at New York University supporting the Palestinian people had been under intense and unjustified scrutiny.
