NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — A pro-Palestinian student group at Rutgers University-New Brunswick has been suspended indefinitely.
Chancellor Francine Conway says the group, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), is no longer allowed to hold demonstrations due to several disruptive events that violated the school’s code of conduct, citing numerous instances of disruptive or disorderly conduct; failure to comply with university of civil authority; guest responsibility; and inappropriate use of space.
Conway said that the group’s previous demonstrations can be categorized as “moments of unrest” that have caused members of the school community to feel threatened.
“While Rutgers–New Brunswick is a public institution that protects and values free speech and an open exchange of ideas, this exchange cannot come at the expense of individual and campus safety,” Conway said.
SJP learned of the suspension on Tuesday when a reporter asked for comment on the matter.
In a letter, the group said the allegations “reflect ‘complaints’ by other Rutgers students, faculty, or staff, which may be no more than a speech disagreement.”
They say actions organized by them in recent months “have included peaceful protests in designated ‘free-speech’ areas, sit-ins that dispersed at the command of RUPD, and study sessions at the library that displayed signs reading ‘Divest Now.’”
The student group says this is an unjust suspension that follows other efforts to silence pro-Palestinian voices.
SJP made a list of demands, including calls for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea,” a permanent cease-fire, and immediate reinstatement of their organization.
Campus police are looking into vandalism at the business school, which school officials say happened during a demonstration organized by the student group.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating Rutgers and dozens of other schools for alleged discrimination on campus.