The University of Maryland’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine sued the institution Tuesday, claiming the university revoked its initial decision to let the group hold a vigil on Oct. 7, according to a press release.
University President Darryll Pines announced in a September letter that the school was only going to allow university-sponsored events to take place on Oct. 7, but other events could be held before that date or after. Students for Justice in Palestine argued in the complaint that the decision was a violation of their First Amendment rights.
The group initially received approval to hold an “awareness event” after they booked a space on the campus’ McKeldin Mall for Oct. 7, which is the day Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping hundreds. Pines and the university’s vice president, Patricia Perillo, stated during a meeting that they received pressure from groups both inside and outside the university to cancel the vigil, but were still committed to protect students’ free speech rights, the complaint states.
“Given the overwhelming outreach, from multiple perspectives, I requested a routine and targeted safety assessment for this day to understand the risks and safety measures associated with planned events,” Pines said in the September email announcement stating only university-sponsored events would be allowed on Oct. 7. “UMPD has assured me that there is no immediate or active threat to prompt this assessment, but the assessment is a prudent and preventive measure that will assist us to keep our safety at the forefront.”
Jewish Voice for Peace at the University of Maryland had planned to co-sponsor the event with Students for Justice in Palestine, the complaint states. Both groups had the goal to grieve all the innocent lives lost, both Palestinian and Israeli, while building a community space.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Palestine legal, the attorneys representing Students for Justice in Palestine, argued that the university’s decision represents an “unlawful viewpoint and content-based discrimination,” according to the press release. It is the university’s job to “seek out, not censor” debates on social issues, Palestine Legal staff attorney Tori Porell noted in the release.
“The First Amendment does not allow the government to make October 7th or any other day a free-expression-black-out date,” Council on American-Islamic Relations national deputy litigation director, Gadeir Abbas, said in the press release. “The clarity of the constitutional violation, if maintained, courts conflict.”
The University of Maryland deferred the Daily Caller News Foundation to a letter from the president. Pines, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Palestine Legal did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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