Students and other individuals walk throughout campus as they protest to express support for Palestinians in Gaza, in front of the residence of the University of Michigan's president, Michigan. 21 November 21 2024. (Photo by Reuters)
Detroit, February 2 (RHC)-- The University of Michigan has suspended a pro-Palestinian student group and revoked its funding following protests calling for divestment from companies conducting business with Israel.
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) was accused of violating the university’s code of conduct for recognized student organizations this week. According to the university, the so-called violations include a protest last spring outside a regent’s home and a demonstration without school permission on one of its premises.
SAFE is one of the most outspoken pro-Palestinian groups in the US. It is the local affiliate of the National Students for Justice in Palestine organization. SAFE argued the suspension is the latest effort by the university to stifle their message for a free Palestine, but it will not stop their activism.
The group also disputed the university's characterization of the groups as “unlawful” and “violent.”
In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, it said: “The move by the university was an attempt to erase Palestine from our campus.” “The university’s ploy to get us to stop just because of a ban and a ceasefire will not work. When our movement is under attack, we only end up stronger.”
Tensions over Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza have led to numerous demonstrations across the US campuses, including a wave of pro-Palestinian encampments that led to about 3,200 arrests last year.
Harvard University adopted a controversial definition of antisemitism just one day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump in a move to muzzle pro-Palestine voices on the campus.
The demonstrators have called upon their respective universities to sever ties with the Israeli regime in a collective effort to hold the regime and its Western backers accountable for their heinous crimes in Palestine.
Joe Biden's administration came under fire from Republicans for its so-called “toothless” treatment of the anti-Israeli protests. Republicans threatened the demonstrators with “real accountability by the incoming Trump administration.”
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for aggressive action to fight so-called anti-Semitism on college campuses and promising to prosecute offenders and revoke visas for international students found to be “Hamas sympathizers.”
[ SOURCE: PRESS TV and REUTERS ]
