MIT suspends pro-Palestinian student group
MIT has suspended a proPalestinian student group for violating campus protest rules, according to the university prez who emphasized that the punishment is “not related to the content of their speech.”
The MIT student chapter of the Coalition Against Apartheid has been suspended as a recognized student organization following its demonstration on Monday.
CAA’s members “once again conducted a demonstration on campus without going through the normal permission processes that apply to every student group at MIT,” President Sally Kornbluth said in a letter to the community yesterday.
The student group ahead of the protest was promoting an “Emergency Action” on social media. The title of the protest was “Hands off
Rafah.”
“Last night, Israel began a bombing onslaught of Rafah, where almost 2 million displaced Palestinians from across Gaza have been concentrated,” the group posted. “This escalation shows how the genocidal regime will not stop in attempting to exterminate the Palestinian people in Gaza without global pressure.
“At MIT, where we do projects for the Israeli Ministry of Defense at the tune of MILLIONS, it begins with ending these ties to the genocidal Israeli forces and sending a clear signal that business will not continue as usual,” the group added.
The suspension means that CAA is banned from reserving any space on campus for any purpose, and the group is barred from using MIT facilities. Also, CAA will not receive standard funding of student groups, and it will not be allowed to organize any further protests or demonstrations anywhere on campus.
The suspension will remain in force until the Committee on Discipline makes a formal determination — the usual process in such cases.
The New England chapter of the Anti-Defamation League thanked Kornbluth and MIT for enforcing their student code of conduct.
“The suspension of CAA is a strong action defending the integrity of the university as a space for learning, discourse and advocacy — not chaos, hate and division,” ADL New England posted.
Kornbluth was one of the university presidents who went in front of Congress last year to discuss rising antisemitism on college campuses. The presidents, including the previous ones at Harvard and UPenn, were criticized for their answers about how to handle student protests.