Pro-Palestinian Students File Lawsuit Against University of Michigan Over Free Speech Concerns

 Current and former students have filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that the school violated their constitutional rights to free speech, due process, and equal protection.


Students rally and march against Israeli attacks on Gaza at the University of Michigan on April 28.

Dec. 22, 2024, 10:04 PM GMT+6

The University of Michigan is facing a lawsuit filed by current and former students who claim that the institution unfairly targeted and disproportionately disciplined pro-Palestinian students involved in campus protests.

The federal lawsuit, filed on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, accuses the university of infringing on students' constitutional rights to free speech, due process, and equal protection under the law. The lawsuit names the university's Board of Regents, its president, and its vice president of student life as defendants.

According to the lawsuit, the university took disciplinary action against students and student groups, including issuing trespass notices that prevented students from attending classes, terminating campus jobs, and blacklisting students from future employment opportunities.

The lawsuit points out that no such measures have been known to be taken by the university in the last fifty years against students engaging in speech or expressive activities related to other political or human rights issues.

The University of Michigan has yet to respond to a request for comment from NBC News.

Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, several pro-Palestinian student groups revived protests demanding that their universities divest from Israeli corporations and defense companies. One protest mentioned in the lawsuit took place in November 2023, when students held a sit-in at the President's office. The protest was broken up by police, with the lawsuit claiming that law enforcement from over ten departments was called in, resulting in 42 student arrests.

Though the protest was nonviolent, the lawsuit claims that several students were injured during the police intervention. One plaintiff, Zaynab Elkolaly, alleged that a University of Michigan police officer threw her to the ground and ripped off her hijab.

Months after the protest, students were notified that a complaint had been filed against them for violations of the university’s Students Rights and Responsibilities. The lawsuit alleges several issues with the conflict resolution process, claiming that it violated the university's own policies, including a rule that prohibits the university from being a party in the process.

A student-led panel ultimately found that the students were not responsible for any violations and determined that the complaint failed to show the protest disrupted university activities or that students refused to leave when asked. However, the lawsuit claims the vice president of student life personally overturned the decision made by the panel.

The lawsuit also alleges that a complaint against the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter was filed by an individual hired by the university to bring complaints against students involved in a "die-in" protest.

According to the lawsuit, the University of Michigan has only initiated complaints against students or student organizations that support divestment efforts related to Palestinian human rights.

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