Palestinian Students & Angela Davis Overcome Censorship Attempts at Butler University
/Issues: Censorship, False Accusations
Poster for Angela Davis event at Butler University (Credit: Butler SJP)
Despite repeated efforts to exclude Palestinian voices from campus conversations, students at Butler University in Indiana have persevered in asserting their right to organize for Palestine.
In October 2020 students organized a successful campaign against student government resolutions that aimed to silence them. And in April 2021, students forced Butler to reinstate an event with Angela Davis that was canceled following complaints about her support for Palestinian rights.
From the time Butler Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) began organizing on campus, students have experienced the “Palestine exception” to free speech.
In October 2020, student resolutions were proposed in retaliation against an art exhibit displaying posters about boycotts for justice, including Palestine, and a know your rights event about safe protesting jointly hosted by SJP and student government .
Butler student event targeted by anti-Palestinian pressure. (Credit: Butler SJP)
One of the proposed resolutions condemned boycott, divestment and sanctions for Palestinian rights, while another called for adopting a distorted definition of antisemitism designed to suppress criticism of Israel.
During the initial debate on the resolutions, the only two Palestinians in student government were excluded from participating in discussions. The student leaders, both Palestinian women, were unable to share the direct impact the resolutions would have on Palestinians and Palestine activism on campus.
Ultimately, Butler student groups, Indianapolis community organizers, and Palestine Legal pushed back against the campaign to vilify and silence Palestine student activism. After hearing about the harmful impact of these anti-Palestinian measures, the student sponsors withdrew the resolutions—but decided to impose new procedural hurdles for student events.
Months later in March 2021, Butler abruptly canceled a talk by the preeminent activist and scholar Angela Davis without warning or discussion just three days before the event was scheduled to take place.
The cancelation occurred after complaints about Angela Davis’s vocal support for Palestinian freedom from pro-Israel students.
The university blamed the censorship on the student government, which it claimed canceled the event because “established processes weren’t followed.”
Palestinian students and their allies launched a public campaign criticizing the university for imposing requirements not enforced on other events due to Angela Davis’s support for Palestinian liberation.
Under mounting pressure, the university quickly reinstated the event, and Angela Davis spoke to Butler students three weeks after she was initially scheduled to appear.
