Dept. of Education Opens Investigation into Anti-Palestinian Discrimination at Florida State University

The James D. Westcott Building and Fountain at Florida State University (FSU) in tallahassee, Florida. SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

CONTACT: Danya Zituni, Palestine Legal | media@palestinelegal.org | (312) 547-0766

June 22, Atlanta, GA – The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has opened a formal investigation into a complaint alleging Florida State University discriminated against Palestinian student Ahmad Daraldik. After Ahmad was elected FSU student senate president in June 2020 and spoke openly about his experiences as a Palestinian, he was made an open target of a state-wide harassment campaign that included Florida state legislators calling for his removal and threatening to withhold funds to FSU.

Ahmad filed the first ever complaint alleging anti-Palestinian discrimination in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in April 2021. Additional details can be found on this case page. 

“I came to FSU for the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe environment. Instead, I was met with racist attacks and smears just for being a Palestinian student leader and for speaking about my life as a Palestinian growing up under Israel’s violent system of apartheid,” said Ahmad. “I hope this investigation will lead to accountability so that no other student has to face the racism and discrimination I’ve experienced as a Palestinian student at FSU.”

OCR will examine whether FSU stood by while a hostile environment ballooned on campus and whether the university’s own actions reinforced this hostile climate in violation of Title VI. Within the last fiscal year, OCR received a record 18,804 complaints but only opened 890 higher-ed related investigations. While OCR looks into all complaints it receives, it only opens formal investigations when it determines the facts warrant a deeper look. 

Ahmad was repeatedly sent anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim messages like “you stupid Palestinians,” “deport him to Gaza,” “dumb ass monkey ass piece of Arab shit,” “dirty ass towel heads,” and “Ahmad Daraldik should be chastised (castrated) immediately and sent to a Muslim country of his choice.”

Then-FSU President John Thrasher issued a public statement characterizing Ahmad’s old social media posts as antisemitic, reinforcing the anti-Palestinian stereotype that Palestinians reacting to experiences of violence and oppression by the Israeli government/military are inspired by anti-Jewish animus, not their own oppression. Powerful state politicians joined the fray, threatening the university's funding and sending letters to student senators.

“As right-wing media piled on with racist attacks against me and my family, FSU singled me out and abandoned me as a student, making the harassment worse.” Ahmad said. “FSU has a responsibility to ensure that all students, including Palestinians, are free to speak about their lives and experiences.”

Since 2014, Palestine Legal has responded to over 2200 incidents of suppression of Palestine advocacy, many involving harassment and censorship attempts by university administrations and anti-Palestinian organizations aimed at intimidating Palestinians and their allies into silence.

“This is an important step that shows OCR is taking anti-Palestinian discrimination seriously,” said Palestine Legal senior staff attorney Radhika Sainath. “The law is clear – Palestinian students are entitled to the same educational opportunities as other students. Palestinian students like Ahmad shouldn’t be forced to hide their identity.”

Contact us if you are interested in reporting about this investigation. For more information, see our case page, here.