Repression of Palestine Solidarity on Campuses: Shrinking Civic Space

During April and May 2024, university and college campuses in the United States and around the world saw large-scale protests, encampments, or sit-ins by students, faculty, and campus staff protesting the war on Gaza, demanding transparency from universities and colleges about their investments in Israel and calling for a ceasefire. Some sources estimate actions occurring on over 170 campuses in 35 countries worldwide.

Downolad the report here.

Rather than focusing on fostering open debate and dialogue, many university and college authorities escalated tensions by restricting or outrightly banning protests, involving campus police and external law enforcement, using unnecessary and disproportionate force, and dispersing peaceful protests and dismantling encampments. Other repressive actions contrary to supporting free and pluralist expression included suspending or evicting students, firing staff, collaborating in the surveillance of student activists, and announcing blanket prohibitions of certain forms of speech and activism. In the United States, where the largest number of actions were documented, an estimated 3,200 arrests of pro-Palestinian campus protesters were made by police, with prosecutors charging students with serious felonies, including assault of police officers, wearing disguises, mob violence and attempted ethnic intimidation. Many of the arrested students and faculty ultimately had their charges dropped, though many students continue to face disciplinary measures, and in some cases, harsh and disproportionate punishments.

This approach by university and college leadership reflects worldwide experiences where actions by police, with support and encouragement from university leadership, have focused more on intimidating protesters and discouraging dissent than on ensuring diverse voices were heard, supporting the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest of all their community members, or even addressing the security concerns that had led to police being called into campuses in the first place.

In May 2024, INCLO hosted a public online discussion where the UN Special Rapporteur on
the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Gina Romero, and several
INCLO members came together to share what they were monitoring on campuses in their
countries and how their observations tied into other concerns about the growing attacks on
civic space. Experiences were shared from Australia, Canada, Egypt, the United Kingdom, and
the United States, as well as a global perspective from the UN Special Rapporteur.

It was the starting point of this report.