LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Suspension of Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers—New Brunswick
Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers—New Brunswick (SJP) responded to its suspension early Wednesday. This statement was originally published on SJP's Instagram.
On Tuesday, Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers—New Brunswick (SJP) learned the organization was suspended by Rutgers when a reporter asked for comment on the leaked document of suspension. The administration cited alleged violations of student conduct and the University's Interim Action procedures, which allow it to immediately suspend student organizations it believes "pose a substantial and immediate threat to the safety and well-being of others."
Addressing allegations lodged against SJP
The Rutgers administration alleges that SJP violated the following conduct policies: disruptive or disorderly conduct, failure to comply with University or civil authority, guest responsibility and inappropriate use of space.
None of the allegations are substantiated by date, testimony or description of incidents. According to the letter, the allegations reflect "complaints" by other Rutgers students, faculty or staff, which may be no more than a speech disagreement. Nothing in the letter indicates how these allegations "pose a substantial and immediate threat to the safety and well-being of others."
Actions organized by SJP in recent months have included peaceful protests in designated free-speech areas, sit-ins that dispersed at the command of the Rutgers University Police Department (RUPD) and study sessions at the library that displayed signs reading "Divest Now."
This attempt to conflate protected speech activity with violence is dangerous. The administration's letter contributes to the perception of Arab and Palestinian students on campus as terrorist threats, a racist and unacceptable caricature. These allegations lodged against our group, with no due process, are attempts to silence Palestinian voices and solidarity rather than to maintain campus integrity.
Procedural failures
The leaked document indicates a breach of privacy within the administration. We did not receive any prior notices in the form of a warning or opportunity to challenge the allegations. Again, SJP found out it was suspended at Rutgers when student organizers were contacted by New Jersey and national press.
When we contacted our advisor appointed by the administration, she too was unaware of the letter and suspension, indicating an arbitrary decision made by the administration without adequate review. The timing of our suspension announced amid censorship of our social media platforms and the inundation of media scrutiny during finals week is more than coincidental.
This action, devoid of due process, shows an overreach of administrative power in its treatment of student organizations and raises serious concerns about the University's commitment to justice, fairness and uniform enforcement of its own policies.
Racist and inflammatory double standards
While the Rutgers administration suspended our SJP over nebulous and unsubstantiated complaints, it has yet to conduct an investigation regarding Rutgers Chabad's threatening post with an SJP protest in the background that labels us, students that attend Rutgers, as "children of darkness," captioned with the words, "STRAPPED. ARMED. LOCKED AND LOADED."
This is one of many examples that lack adequate response to incidents that have made Palestinian students feel unsafe and threatened. Meanwhile, mere accusations against our free speech rights have led to arbitrary suspension. Rutgers has also failed to support the Palestinian and Muslim-presenting students on campus who have submitted bias reports of the constant harassment and attacks they have faced since October 7.
This includes the Palestinian student who submitted a report against a professor who cornered and began to record them in response to a coordinated walkout protesting an event — in which the Palestinian student took no part. The professor subsequently accused SJP of disrupting the event, though it played no role in the incident. For all we know, we could be suspended based partially on this false accusation.
We consider the administration's selective enforcement as reflective of a racist double standard. Rules seem to be stringently applied only when Palestinian students are organizing for freedom and bringing awareness to the inhumane crimes that Israel commits every day.
Abrogation of student safety
While the administration wrongfully declares that our organization has created an unsafe environment, it has simultaneously placed its own students at extreme risk. A confidential letter of suspension was leaked to news sources an entire day before it was correctly sent to us. We only became aware of the suspension after one of our members was contacted by a news outlet due to their school email and name being attached to the leaked suspension letter.
This leak has put all SJP members on the line and produced serious additional anxieties for us, as students, amid genocide and final exams. The suspension itself reflects a heightening criminalization of Palestinian advocacy and speech based on anti-Palestinian racism, framing them as violent and presumptively antisemitic.
This is even more frightening in light of the recent shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont.
The Rutgers administration has consistently failed to protect us with the same rigor and public concern it has for other students, especially after many of our members expressed the need for more security measures to protect our identities from being doxxed, which can lead to life-threatening events not only to ourselves but also to our family members.
Furthermore, Rutgers sets a precedent as the first public university to unjustly silence its SJP chapter in this way. This precedent will surely endanger the free speech rights of Palestinian students across the country struggling for liberation.
Our demands
1. Rutgers must reinstate SJP as an organization on campus.
2. Rutgers must identify and terminate the position of the administrator who leaked a private suspension letter including the name and contact information of a member of the SJP to media outlets and issue a public apology for compromising student safety.
3. We reiterate our previous five demands made of the Rutgers administration, which we have received no response on despite repeatedly addressing the administration with them since November 9.
4. Rutgers must incorporate anti-Palestinian racism, which includes Nakba denial, into all of its mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion training and race-based curricula for faculty and staff.
5. Rutgers must provide resources for Palestinian and Arab students on campus in the form of an Arab Cultural Center.
Closing
In the shadow of a history marred by more than 75 years of Palestinian suffering, the recent strategic censure of our organization by Rutgers goes beyond a mere administrative measure. It is a glaring reflection of the systemic injustice that continues to marginalize and silence pro-Palestinian voices. Its actions reveal the intent to prioritize the interests of vocal opposition, leaving Palestinian students and their allies exposed and unsupported.
Let there be no misunderstanding: We see this suspension for what it truly is — a manifestation of the widespread censorship and suppression facing those who advocate for Palestinian rights and dignity on college campuses nationwide. In response to this disheartening stance from our University, SJP remains unwavering in our commitment. We stand in solidarity not just within our ranks but alongside all marginalized student groups.
The spirit of resistance of the people in Gaza, enduring genocide committed by the U.S.-Israeli war machine, fuels our resolve. Their courage inspires our continued demands for a permanent ceasefire, divestment from Israeli apartheid and the realization of a free Palestine — from the River to the Sea. May we quickly reverse this suspension and continue to struggle for liberation within our lifetime.
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