CUNY Law Issues Historic Statement Condemning Harassment of Palestine Advocates on Campus

On June 30, after months of student organizing, City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law issued a statement in support of rising 3L Nerdeen Kiswani, who has faced a barrage of anti-Palestinian hate over the past 9 months in response to her years-long activism supporting Palestinian freedom.

The statement, issued by Interim Dean of the Law School Eduardo R.C. Capulong states, “the Law School supports the free speech rights of Nerdeen Kiswani, other Palestinian students, and their Jewish and non-Jewish allies, who have been vilified for their activism.” 

It is believed to be the first statement from a U.S.-based university condemning censorship campaigns against students supporting Palestinian rights and anti-Palestinian hate.

WITHIN OUR LIFETIME COMPILED STATEMENTS MADE IN SUPPORT OF KISWANI DURING THE #WESTANDWITHNERDEEN CAMPAIGN. (SCREENSHOT OF WITHOUT OUR LIFETIME POSTING)

In October of 2020, Israel advocacy groups, including StopAntisemitism.org and BDSReport, launched a smear campaign against Nerdeen who is well-known in New York City for her vocal support for Palestinian liberation. Act.il, an app with deep ties to Israeli intelligence and military provided critical machinery to anti-Palestinian groups attempting to pressure CUNY Law into punishing Nerdeen.

The university initially released statements condemning Nerdeen before later deleting them, exposing her to further racist and violent vitriol. Since then, it has committed to supporting all students who support human rights and the rights of marginalized and oppressed people.

"I appreciate the University standing with me as their student, as they always should have," said Nerdeen. "However, it cannot be and is not just about me. We also have to acknowledge what is happening in Palestine, how Palestinians are being systematically subjected to genocide and colonization, especially during such an escalated moment. Zionist colonial violence must be condemned."

Interim Dean Capulong’s statement came in the wake of renewed attacks against Nerdeen this year. Since May, Nerdeen has led mass protests across New York City with Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine, an organization she chairs, calling on an end to Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Facing death threats and daily racist messages from Zionists, student organizers called on CUNY Law to support Nerdeen and other students similarly harassed and threatened for supporting Palestine in light of Israel’s violence.

Student organizers and CUNY Law Student Government celebrated the importance of Interim Dean Capulong’s statement, but said it did not go far enough to support Palestinian freedom.

Universities have a history of censoring criticism of Israel. Israel advocacy groups commonly accuse students and faculty of antisemitism solely for speech in support of Palestinian rights, prompting schools to condemn, punish or censor campus advocates for Palestinian justice.

"It’s not just an issue of free speech, we must also firmly stand against the oppression of the Palestinian people," Nerdeen said. "This is what I hope to do in my work every day, and this is the narrative that Zionists try to kill, which is what they did by attacking me. However, history has shown and will continue to show that their attempts will be futile."

“We’re glad CUNY Law recognized, by name, systemic efforts by Israel groups to bully and threaten students out of solidarity with occupied Palestinians,” said Michael Ratner Justice Fellow Amira Mattar. “It’s a first step universities should take rather than to throw advocates under the bus in fear of Zionist retaliation. But it shouldn’t have taken 9 months of student organizing for universities to affirm that Palestinians and their allies deserve safety and support— it should be a given.”   

“As a law school CUNY Law should've been better equipped to resist pressure and ensure equal protection to Nerdeen,” said New York human rights attorney Lamis Deek, who provided legal support to Nerdeen. ”We are glad they’ve reversed course on her case, but there is a larger systemic issue which we hope the University will address."

"Nerdeen’s case is but one of countless globally,” Deek continued. “Israeli lobby groups have so calculatingly dehumanized Palestinians and incentivized that dehumanization insomuch that it requires extensive resources to fight for basic protections. But it's failing, the Palestinian movement is growing, and the racist zionist narrative is failing.”

Palestine Legal is proud to have supported Nerdeen since she was co-president of Students for Justice in Palestine at CUNY-Staten Island in 2014.