Media Round-Up: Palestine Legal Files 9 Title VI Complaints Since April 2024

Media Round-Up: Palestine Legal Files 9 Title VI Complaints Since April 2024

Since April 2024, Palestine Legal has filed nine federal civil rights complaints against universities for severe anti-Palestinian discrimination in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. As a result, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Emory University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Columbia University are now under federal investigation for anti-Palestinian racism. Partners and students have filed complaints against numerous other universities, including Harvard, Rutgers, CUNY, and UCLA. 

Palestine Legal and partner organizations are filing complaints to ensure that universities are held accountable for their discriminatory treatment of Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and associated students amid protests on campuses against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Here is a select media round-up of the top 8 stories on the ongoing Title VI cases in mainstream and independent outlets including NBC News, The Hill, The Intercept, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, NC Newsline, and the Daily Tar Heel. 

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After violent crackdown, UC Santa Cruz continues to trample student and faculty rights

After violent crackdown, UC Santa Cruz continues to trample student and faculty rights

On June 10, Palestine Legal and the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund wrote to UC Santa Cruz detailing the violations of students' civil and constitutional rights in this student conduct process and demanding that the charges be dropped. Despite the university's push to schedule these summary meetings with students without giving them time to adequately prepare, weeks later, many of the cases remain unresolved. 

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Palestine Legal Submission for UN Report on Freedom of Expression in Challenging Times

Palestine Legal Submission for UN Report on Freedom of Expression in Challenging Times

On June 21st, Palestine Legal sent the following letter to UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan as a submission for her forthcoming report on Freedom of Expression in Challenging Times. The report will be presented at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in October 2024.

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Palestine Legal Warns Barrington High School Over Its Criticism of Palestinian Flags at Graduation

Palestine Legal Warns Barrington High School Over Its Criticism of Palestinian Flags at Graduation

On May 23, Palestinian and Muslim graduating students at Barrington High School held the Palestinian flag upon receiving their diplomas. When students raised their flags, hostile attendees shouted racially motivated comments such as “get him out” and “get the f*** out of here” at the students. 

Following this, Principal Stephen McWilliams sent a one-sided email to the Barrington community alleging these actions were “disruptive” with no supported evidence, and made no mention of the hateful comments towards students. 

Palestine Legal wrote to the school district last week explaining how their actions violate students’ rights. 

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Media Roundup: Palestine Legal and NYCLU Sue Columbia University Over Student Group Suspension

Media Roundup: Palestine Legal and NYCLU Sue Columbia University Over Student Group Suspension

On March 11th, the New York Civil Liberties Union and Palestine Legal announced a lawsuit against Columbia University for the unlawful suspension of its chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) for engaging in peaceful protest. 

Below is a media round-up of 5 key articles highlighting Columbia University’s anti-Palestinian repression in mainstream and independent outlets including: AP, The Intercept, Common Dreams, Middle East Eye, and Prism

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Palestine Legal Warns Against Escalating Efforts to Weaponize Terror Laws and Suppress Advocacy for Palestinian Rights

Palestine Legal Warns Against Escalating Efforts to Weaponize Terror Laws and Suppress Advocacy for Palestinian Rights

In recent weeks, as encampments and other protests on campuses have gained national attention and a seven-month-long US-backed genocide continues unabated in Palestine, anti-Palestinian lawmakers, groups, and institutional actors have intensified their racist and repressive targeting of the Palestine solidarity movement in the US from multiple angles. This is a desperate effort to criminalize and shut down a growing movement calling for Palestinian freedom.

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New Report Analyzes Crackdown on Palestine Solidarity in the U.S. 

New Report Analyzes Crackdown on Palestine Solidarity in the U.S. 

Today Palestine Legal published a new report on the post-Oct 7th crackdown on Palestine solidarity in the US. The report is Palestine Legal’s first total accounting and analysis of the reports of repression the organization received between Oct 7th and Dec 31, 2023, with the high volume of reports continuing into 2024. 

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