Palestine Legal protects the civil and constitutional rights of people in the U.S. who speak out for Palestinian freedom.
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DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO BOYCOTT
Take a stand against anti-boycott bills aimed at punishing advocacy for Palestinian rights.
Trump's Supercharged Attacks on Student Activism for Palestine Follows 50% Increase in Suppression Last Year
Palestine Legal, a legal aid organization supporting the movement for Palestinian freedom in the U.S., received over 2,000 requests for legal support last year, a 55% increase from 2023, and a 600% increase from 2022. About two-thirds of reports of people targeted for their Palestine-related advocacy that Palestine Legal received in 2024 were campus-related, including over 100 reports at K-12 institutions.
The report comes as the Trump administration threatens and implements sweeping actions against Palestine protestors on college campuses, including deportations, federal investigations, and withholding hundreds of millions in funding from universities.
"Trump's extreme and authoritarian tactics, including abducting and deporting international students because of their protected speech and advocacy for Palestinian rights, are a desperate attempt to silence a movement that is successfully shifting public opinion to oppose US support for Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza," said Dima Khalidi, Executive Director of Palestine Legal. "The report underscores how racism against Palestinians was at the core of the widespread crackdown on student activists, and how it paved the path for Trump’s wild overreaches. But it also shows how at every turn, students and other activists have continued to defy the crackdowns to make their voices heard about an urgent moral crisis.”
Legal Resources for Activists Advocating for Palestine Across the U.S.
Palestine Legal has been receiving an unprecedented surge in requests for legal support as the Trump administration escalates its repression of the movement for justice in Palestine — with many of the same tools that it inherited from the Biden administration and its unwavering support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Activists and community members have been doxxed, investigated, censored, questioned, fired, jailed, and even assaulted simply because of their views, while government officials appear to be mobilizing law enforcement resources against them for their speech activities.
While we work to respond to these requests, these guides and contacts from Palestine Legal and partner organizations will help you assess risks, protect yourself and others, and reduce harm from repression.
