Media Roundup: George Washington University’s Anti-Palestinian Discrimination
/In November, Palestine Legal filed a civil rights complaint against George Washington University challenging GW's selective and discriminatory cancelation of trauma support services for Palestinian students.
Below is a media roundup on the complaint and student protests against GW’s discriminatory treatment story featuring articles in campus media and other outlets including, The GW Hatchet, Middle East Eye, The Electronic Intifada, The New Arab, and The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.
GW students protest the university’s discriminatory treatment against Palestinians on campus. (Credit: Danielle Towers / GW Hatchet)
The GW Local
GW Restricts Office of Advocacy and Support Functions Due To Social Media Post
“There is pressure about Palestine to not offer solidarity, to not say certain words like ‘apartheid’, which has been internationally recognized, to not say words like ‘free Palestine’, there’s pressure to not do those things, because language matters.” - Nada Elbasha, client
The GW Hatchet
Complaint alleges University discriminated against Palestinian students
“To this date, they have not been allowed to provide trauma services for Palestinians,” Sainath said. “And that’s unlawful. That’s a civil rights violation in this country, and in D.C., you cannot discriminate against people on the basis of their identity.” -Radhika Sainath, senior staff attorney
Students rally after group files human rights complaint against GW
“Palestinian students, like every other group of students, deserve to receive support, deserve to have their struggle recognized and deserve to call out oppression for what it is.” - Rani Al-Hinidi, Palestinian-American GW Law student
Faculty, student groups push back against officials after civil rights complaint
“We ask the GW administration to reinstate its services to Palestinians as equal members of the GW community.” - GW Faculty Senate Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Subcommittee
Palestinian students deserve support and advocacy
“It is not acceptable for administrators to prevent OAS from giving Palestinian students mental health services on the basis of it being harmful to Jewish students when doing so insinuates that Israel is representative of all Jewish students.” -Student op-ed by Kara Vecchione
Middle East Eye
US university faces civil rights complaint after cancelling trauma service for Palestinian
"To deny Palestinians support because their pain is politically inconvenient is not just wrong, it's illegal.” - Radhika Sainath, senior staff attorney
The Electronic Intifada
US college bars trauma services for Palestinians
“Our demands are minimal: ensuring that Palestinian students are treated equally and that GW is complying with the law, that they apologize for the denial of services." -Radhika Sainath, senior staff attorney
The New Arab
George Washington University facing civil rights complaint after denying Palestinians trauma service access
"To have high-level administrators cancel our support programming and threaten to close our office was a shocking declaration that GW does not care about its Palestinian students.” - Nada Elbasha, client
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
George Washington University Succumbs to Pro-Israel Pressure
“It feels very fragile here, but mainly it is worrisome that my clients, the students, will continue to suffer." - Nada Elbasha, client