Add the University of Maryland to the list of campuses preparing for a surge of anti-Israel events on Oct. 7, the anniversary of the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians.
A federal judge cleared the way for the University of Maryland’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter to hold a Monday vigil on McKeldin Mall, granting a preliminary injunction that overruled the university’s decision to cancel the event over concerns about safety and antisemitism.
“The grave harm the University cites is the potential disruption and violence that it believes will follow if the October 7 event goes forward,” U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte said Tuesday in his ruling. “The University submits that its decision is a narrowly tailored, neutral time, place, and manner restriction. But in the Court’s view the decision of the University to revoke SJP’s reservation was clearly neither viewpoint- nor content-neutral.”
He noted that the university had come under pressure from pro-Israel advocates to cancel the event, including a petition circulated by End Jew-Hatred Campus entitled “Stop Terror on Campus: Urge Universities to Ban Antisemitic Protests on October 7.”
Judge Messitte, a Clinton appointee, said the university’s decision “came about for reasons that the Constitution simply does not countenance: fear of disruption, and anger of opponents.”
The university said it “recognizes, and will abide by, the court’s decision, and will work with all registered organizers of events requested for Oct. 7.”
“Event organizers, campus officials and [campus police] will implement a plan that allows all events to proceed in accordance with the court’s ruling,” the university said in a statement.
The judge’s ruling was cheered by free-speech advocates and pro-Palestinian groups, including Palestine Legal, which represented the students.
“Criticizing Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza is protected by the First Amendment, period,” said Tori Porell, Palestine Legal staff attorney. “This ruling is not just a win for Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Maryland, but for all students speaking out for Palestinian freedom across the country.”
The ruling comes with the National Students for Justice in Palestine promoting a “Week of Rage” on university campuses from Oct. 7-11 to “mark a year in genocide in Gaza,” referring to Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas war.
The organization said it would “fight for the complete liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea,” a phrase that has been decried as a call for the elimination of Israel.
The Anti-Defamation League listed a dozen universities where SJP groups and others are planning Oct. 7 protests and rallies, including the University of North Carolina, University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of Oregon.
Pro-Palestinian groups at the University of Georgia and Pomona College have announced walkouts, while Carleton College is planning a “shutdown” and the University of Louisville SJP has called for a “Shut it Down for Palestine” protest.
“Worse yet, this is certainly just a small fraction of the misguided or malicious October 7 events planned on our college campuses,” the ADL said Wednesday in a statement.
For every single martyr, political prisoner, and person remaining resilient in the face of brutal genocide and occupation, WE RISE.
— National Students for Justice in Palestine (@NationalSJP) September 29, 2024
For Lebanon, WE RISE.
For Gaza, WE RISE.
This October 7-11, the student movement WILL RISE for our siblings in Palestine and Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/bJGGpIb6rQ
Jewish student groups are also marking the date. At the University of Maryland, the Jewish Student Union has scheduled its own Monday vigil to commemorate the 1,200 victims of the Hamas attack and call for the release of the remaining 97 hostages held in Gaza.
The Maryland SJP chapter estimated that 25-50 students would participate in what it described as a peaceful vigil, but Judge Messitte said the university would be well within its rights to prepare for the worst.
He cited the “recent experience around the country,” referring to the eruption of protests, vandalism, violence and arrests on U.S. college campuses after the Oct. 7 attack, which prompted Israel to declare war.
“[I]t remains entirely plausible that the University may need to beef up its security personnel (and perhaps seek the assistance of regular law enforcement) in order to maintain order during the protests, as well as to arrange for appropriate personnel to monitor any substantial inflow of non-student protestors and in general to keep the crowd under control,” Judge Messitte said in the 28-page ruling.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said in a statement that while he respects the rule of law and due process, “I think Oct. 7 is an inappropriate date for such an event.”
“What I do know is that students at the University of Maryland have the right to feel safe, and we will work with local and University leaders to ensure their safety,” Mr. Moore said.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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