Alwaght- Last year, when thousands of students and faculty across US universities protested Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, they never expected being expelled or fired for their support of Palestine. However, a wave of such dismissals began several months later. Among the most recent cases is a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, who was dismissed for pro-Palestinian activism.
Also, tens of of other educators across the country are facing prosecution, criminal charges, and suspension from work for their pro-Palestinian speeches. This judicial scrutiny of pro-Palestinian professors is particularly striking because many of them participated in officially permitted events, speeches, and protests. It appears that even authorized speech in support of Palestine is more than the US government is willing to tolerate.
The price for supporting Palestine
There are several cases of punishing the university students for their joining the protests at Gaza war.
Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, a professor of international studies at the University of California, Irvine, has been charged with at least three misdemeanors, including resisting arrest. The charges stem from her participation in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in May 2024.
At MIT, Dr. Michelle DeGraff received letters of reprimand and had her salary increase frozen due to her involvement in anti-war protests regarding Gaza.
Steven Thrasher, a journalism professor at Northwestern University, was suspended from his job and is currently under investigation. This follows an incident last summer where police accused him of trying to protect anti-war student protesters. Although the charges against him were dropped, he remains barred from working at the university and is under suspension.
The scope of action against university professors in the United States has even extended to supporters of Palestine on social media. According to an Al Jazeera report, Bruce Finkelstein, a tenured professor at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, was fired after sharing a social media post by Remi Kenazi, a Palestinian-American poet based in New York. He is the first university professor in the US to be officially dismissed since the Gaza war. This professor is also a staunch critic of Israel. In his post, he quoted Kenazi, writing: "Do not bow to Zionists. Shame them. Do not welcome them. Why should we treat these genocide-loving fascists any differently than any other racist?"
This professor was placed on forced administrative leave in January 2024 and was informed in May 2024 that he had been dismissed. However, despite losing his job, Finkelstein has asked his colleagues to continue speaking up about Palestine.
Furthermore, at San Jose State University in California, Sang Hea Kil, a professor of Justice Studies, has been suspended since May 2024 due to her work as an advisor for pro-Palestinian student groups on campus. Investigations into her conduct are ongoing and could ultimately lead to her dismissal.
Until just one day before her suspension, this professor also served as a co-chair of the Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim Caucus within the California Faculty Association. She is now accused of "directing and encouraging students" to violate university policies.
Open censorship in US universities
The US government appears to be behind the dismissal and investigation of pro-Palestinian academics, in an effort to suppress and censor any support for Palestine or opposition to the war in Gaza within universities.
Al Jazeera reported that approximately six months ago, the US Department of Education sent letters to 60 educational institutions, notifying them that their staff and students were under investigation. The federal government described these universities as suspect of "anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination," warning that legal action would be taken against them if they failed to "protect Jewish students."
All 60 of these institutions receive federal funding, making the government's letter a clear warning about the potential cutoff of funds should pro-Palestinian protests and activities by students and faculty continue. Major universities such as Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton were among those that received this warning.
In recent months, citing a "failure to protect Jewish students," the government has announced a $400 million cut to Columbia University's funding—a move that poses a serious challenge to the university. Columbia has been a central and significant hub for anti-war protests regarding Gaza over the past two years. According to official reports, approximately one-quarter of Columbia's annual budget, which exceeds $6 billion, is funded by federal financial support, and there is a real possibility of this funding being revoked.
Currently, as reported by The New York Times, Columbia University officials have warned students at its journalism school about posting content on social media, specifically advising non-American students to refrain from publishing material related to Gaza.
An uncertain fate
The US crackdown on the pro-Palestinian academics and students more than anything is indicative of the fact that Washington no longer tolerates even academic opinion. This comes while even the European allies of Israel call for stop to Gaza war, but the Israeli regime on the strength of the American support, continues its massacare in the Palestinian costal enclave.
Clamping down on the free speech in the American universities along with unwavering support for Tel Aviv puts a future of uncertainty in front of the White House and it seems that even the Americans are no longer optimistic about the situation getting any better.
