We condemn the Rutgers administration’s attempt to suppress the free speech rights and the academic freedom of Rutgers students by suspending Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). One of Rutgers University’s great strengths is its diverse student body, made up of students with highly varied backgrounds and political perspectives. The suspension of Students for Justice for Palestine arbitrarily silences the voices of many of those students and is redolent of the McCarthyism of the 20th century.
At a time when the US population is deeply divided over the conflict in Gaza, the administration should not take sides by censoring groups that the administration does not like. The university is precisely the site where robust debates should be carried out, not stifled. We call on the administration to immediately reverse course, reinstate Students for Justice in Palestine, and reaffirm the university’s commitment to freedom of expression.