Civil Rights Groups Urge CUNY to Retract Anti-Palestinian Statement and Apologize

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Civil Rights Groups Urge CUNY to Retract Anti-Palestinian Statement and Apologize

Palestine Legal and 13 civil rights groups, including the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, and Law for Black Lives, wrote the City University of New York (CUNY) today to raise serious concerns that the university’s May 30th Statement condemning as “hate speech” the principled remarks by graduating CUNY Law 3L Fatima Mohammed violated state and federal laws. Published two weeks after Mohammed gave her speech in which she criticized Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, the statement from CUNY’s Board of Trustees and Chancellor contributed to the bullying campaign led by anti-Palestinian groups, politicians, and rightwing media outlets in the wake of Mohammed’s speech, and incited additional online harassment and threats against Mohammed.

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Palestinian UIUC Law Alum Testimony Against the Dangers of IHRA

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Palestinian UIUC Law Alum Testimony Against the Dangers of IHRA

Palestine Legal is publishing the following testimony by Rifqa Falaneh, a Palestinian law graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, against the dangers of the distorted definition of antisemitism used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). 

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Cornell’s Failure to Condemn Campus Break-In Remains of Concern

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Cornell’s Failure to Condemn Campus Break-In Remains of Concern

Cornell University administration’s silence in the wake of a 2022 break-in at the office of professor Samia Henni has prompted questions and concerns about Cornell’s commitment to the safety and academic freedom of faculty who have spoken out in support of Palestinian rights. 

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Victory in the Courts for Palestinian Rights: USCPR defeats JNF's Lawfare Attack

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Victory in the Courts for Palestinian Rights: USCPR defeats JNF's Lawfare Attack

On Tuesday May 3rd, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a baseless lawsuit filed by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) claiming that our partners at the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) had provided “material support for terrorism” by engaging in advocacy. USCPR is represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), in addition to cooperating counsel Judith Chomsky and Beth Stephens.  

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City University of New York Cancels Palestinian Speaker on Nakba Day (Updated)

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City University of New York Cancels Palestinian Speaker on Nakba Day (Updated)

Palestine Legal wrote to the City University of New York (CUNY) Hunter College Friday informing the college that its cancellation of Palestinian CUNY alumna, Nerdeen Mohsen, from an event commemorating the Nakba violates the federal and state discrimination laws, in addition to the Constitution.

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U.S. Dep’t of Education Opens First of its Kind Investigation into Anti-Palestinian Discrimination at George Washington University

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U.S. Dep’t of Education Opens First of its Kind Investigation into Anti-Palestinian Discrimination at George Washington University

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced on May 10, 2023 that it has opened a formal investigation into a complaint alleging George Washington University (GW) discriminated against Palestinian students and students perceived to be Palestinian. This is the first public investigation into anti-Palestinian racism by OCR.

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SUCCESS: NYU Withdraws False Accusations Against Pro-Palestine Graduate Student Worker; Rehires Idriss to Library with Back Pay

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SUCCESS: NYU Withdraws False Accusations Against Pro-Palestine Graduate Student Worker; Rehires Idriss to Library with Back Pay

After facing public backlash, NYU’s Office of Student Conduct has dropped its false discrimination charge against graduate student worker Naye Idriss, who was accused in November 2022 of antisemitism after she wrote “Fuck” over the word ‘Israel,’ and “Free Palestine” on an Israeli mail bag that had been discarded in the recycling at Bobst Library, where she worked in the mailroom. 

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