UVM Students for Justice in Palestine rallied outside the Royall Tyler Theatre at 2:45 p.m. Sept. 12 to protest SJP’s interim suspension.
Approximately 40 students attended the protest, according to a UVM police officer present.
“UVM’s suspension and repression of Palestine solidarity activism on campus is not only illegal, it is immoral, it is unjust and it is unprecedented,” said an SJP speaker at the rally who wished to remain anonymous.
On Sept. 9, SJP filed a federal lawsuit seeking reinstatement as a student organization, according to a court filing. The lawsuit stated that since being suspended on May 1, the group has been unable to organize outside of “internal organizational meetings relating to UVM’s investigation.”
Music was playing over portable speakers as students assembled outside the theater. Many of the students present wore keffiyehs and carried Palestinian flags.
The demonstration began with a speech by a student organizer in front of the theater before students marched through campus to the front doors of the Waterman Building, which houses the University’s administration offices.
As students marched through the University’s Central campus, they held signs denouncing UVM’s actions and chanted for SJP’s status as a student organization to be reinstated. “We want justice, you say ‘how?’” students chanted as they marched. “Unsuspend SJP now!”
In a Sept. 13 email to the Cynic, Adam White, executive director of University communications, said the University supports students’ freedom of expression as long as it follows University policy.
“UVM values free expression,” he stated in the email. “It is an important part of our campus community. There is so much we can learn from one another, provided our views are expressed in a way that is respectful and complies with university policies.”
A Sept. 11 SJP Instagram post invited students to a mass meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 12 to discuss the suspension. Students could receive the location by filling out an online form with a non-University email and “public facing” social media account.
In an interview at the rally, a member of SJP, who wished to remain anonymous, said the University told them that an investigation would be conducted shortly after their suspension. They said they were not notified of any investigation until a few weeks before the beginning of the fall semester.
“The investigative process and the hearing process that they’ve proposed allows for no legal representation, allows us only to plead guilty, we cannot contest the charges and we can’t dispute any evidence,” the anonymous protestor said.
Adam White stated in a Sept. 11 email to the Cynic that it cannot comment on matters related to pending litigation.
SJP claimed their demonstration was protected under the First Amendment. They also alleged that the University has singled out pro-Palestine activism for harsher enforcement of UVM policies, which they said contradicts UVM’s policy on free expression.
Alison, a senior who attended the march on Thursday, said the justifications the University used to suspend SJP could be used to suspend any club on campus and that SJP’s suspension is “a threat to any other student organization.”
Ben, another senior who attended the march, described a contrast between UVM’s attitudes toward past and current student protests.
“UVM historically seems to like to pride themselves on their socially conscious student body,” Ben said. “To systemically oppress student voices in this time while still simultaneously valuing the historic efforts of students against certain issues like this, it just kind of feels ridiculous to me.”
Beyond the reinstatement of their student organization status, the anonymous SJP protestor said their long-term goals include UVM’s divestment from the war in Gaza, the disclosure of their divestment, and the payment of reparations, such as “reinvestment in groups who help support the rebuilding of Palestine.”
