Last week, Townhall reported that many students at Columbia University staged a walkout from one of former first lady Hillary Clinton’s classes to “shame” the school for how they believe it allowed its students who signed a statement against Israel to be “publicly shamed.” Since Hamas launched its attack on Israel last month, Columbia University students had been vocal in how they do not support Israel.
Brandeis University, a private school based in Massachusetts, banned a student chapter of the National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on its campus. According to The Hill, Brandeis is the first U.S. university to ban this group.
A university spokesperson confirmed to The Hill this week that the school banned the student chapter for the national organization. The reason behind this move was SJP’s support of the terrorist organization Hamas.
“SJP has called on its chapters to engage in conduct that supports Hamas in its call for the elimination of the only Jewish state in the world and its people,” the school’s spokesperson said in its statement to The Hill. “Such expression is not protected by Brandeis’ principles of free speech.”
“Students are welcome to express their support for Palestinians in a manner that complies with our rights and responsibilities,” the spokesperson concluded.
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Brandeis was founded as a nonsectarian Jewish university in 1948. Following its decision, the school sent a letter to SJP, which was obtained by The Jewish Insider:
“This decision was not made lightly, as Brandeis is dedicated to upholding free speech principles, which have been codified in Brandeis’ Principles of Free Speech and Free Expression,” the letter said. “However, those Principles note that ‘The freedom to debate and discuss ideas does not mean that individuals may say whatever they wish, wherever they wish, or however they wish,’ and that, ‘…the university may restrict expression…that constitutes a genuine threat or harassment…or that is otherwise directly incompatible with the functioning of the university.’”
The letter continued, “The National SJP has called on its chapters to engage in conduct that supports Hamas in its call for the violent elimination of Israel and the Jewish people. These tactics are not protected by the University’s Principles. As a result, the University made the decision that the Brandeis chapter of the National SJP must be unrecognized and will no longer be eligible to receive funding, be permitted to conduct activities on campus, or use the Brandeis name and logo in promoting itself or its activities, including through social media channels.”
The letter further states that students who choose to participate in conduct that supports Hamas “will be considered to be in violation of the University’s student code of conduct.”
“Students who wish to express their support for the rights of Palestinian civilians may form another student organization, through established procedures, that complies with University policies,” the document continues.
Last month, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Louis D. Brandeis Center sent a letter to 200 colleges and universities asking them to investigate students organizations of SJP for “for potential violations of 18 USC 2339A and B, and its state equivalents, that is, for potential violations of the prohibition against materially supporting a foreign terrorist organization,” The Hill reported.
