Hundreds of Legal Community Members Demand Action To Stop Racist and Unlawful Targeting of Palestine Advocates

Hundreds of Legal Community Members Demand Action To Stop Racist and Unlawful Targeting of Palestine Advocates

Palestine Legal and over 600 legal organizations and professionals, including the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, released a new letter urging elected officials and institutional leaders to take urgent measures to address the surging racist attacks and unlawful retaliation against advocates for Palestinian rights. 

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Palestine Legal to UPenn: Palestine Writes Literature Festival must be allowed to proceed without racist censorship

Palestine Legal to UPenn: Palestine Writes Literature Festival must be allowed to proceed without racist censorship

On Friday, Palestine Legal wrote the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) urging the university to stand up for freedom of expression and permit the Palestine Writes Literature Festival to go forward, despite calls from Israel lobby groups to cancel the festival. Palestine Legal’s letter notes that the university would be in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 should it take action against the festival, which features dozens of Palestinian writers and other luminaries from across the world, including Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen, National Book Foundation ‘5 under 35’ awardee Isabella Hammad, Peabody awardee Laila Al-Arian, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd and Marc Lamont Hill, named by Ebony as one of the 100 most influential Black leaders in the country.

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Palestine Legal Files Title VI Complaint Against University of Illinois Chicago for Discriminating Against Palestinian Students at Israel Study Abroad Event

Palestine Legal Files Title VI Complaint Against University of Illinois Chicago for Discriminating Against Palestinian Students at Israel Study Abroad Event

Palestine Legal filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), demanding an investigation into the University of Illinois Chicago’s (UIC) discriminatory treatment of Palestinian students, including barring Palestinian students from attending a January 2023 informational session on a university sponsored Israel study abroad program and threatening legal action against them for speaking about their experiences of discrimination. 

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Dept. of Education Opens Investigation into Anti-Palestinian Discrimination at Florida State University

Dept. of Education Opens Investigation into Anti-Palestinian Discrimination at Florida State University

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has opened a formal investigation into a complaint alleging Florida State University discriminated against Palestinian student Ahmad Daraldik. After Ahmad was elected FSU student senate president in June 2020 and spoke openly about his experiences as a Palestinian, he was made an open target of a state-wide harassment campaign that included Florida state legislators calling for his removal and threatening to withhold funds to FSU.

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U.S. Dep’t of Education Opens First of its Kind Investigation into Anti-Palestinian Discrimination at George Washington University

U.S. Dep’t of Education Opens First of its Kind Investigation into Anti-Palestinian Discrimination at George Washington University

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced on May 10, 2023 that it has opened a formal investigation into a complaint alleging George Washington University (GW) discriminated against Palestinian students and students perceived to be Palestinian. This is the first public investigation into anti-Palestinian racism by OCR.

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Palestine Legal Files Title VI Complaint Against George Washington University for Years-Long, Hostile Anti-Palestinian Environment

Palestine Legal Files Title VI Complaint Against George Washington University for Years-Long, Hostile Anti-Palestinian Environment

Yesterday, Palestine Legal filed a federal civil rights complaint with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) demanding an immediate investigation into the years-long, hostile environment of anti-Palestinian racism that continues unabated at George Washington University (GW).

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GW Responds to Public Outcry But Falls Short in Supporting Palestinian Students

GW Responds to Public Outcry But Falls Short in Supporting Palestinian Students

George Washington University (GW) is investigating its denial of trauma support services of trauma support services to Palestinian students in the wake of Israel’s bombing campaign last spring, but the university failed to apologize to its Palestinian students. The investigation comes after a public outcry and a civil rights complaint that Palestine Legal initiated this month.

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