Community members react to University of Maryland decision at October 7 event

A U.S. District Court judge in Maryland has ruled that an event organized by the University of Maryland’s Students for Palestine Justice could go ahead because of free speech protections.

The event, scheduled for October 7, was a source of controversy. Court documents described the event as “an interfaith vigil to be held on the university’s College Park campus…intended to mourn the lives lost in the alleged Israeli ‘genocide’ in Gaza.”

“It would bring together many faiths,” said Daniela Colombi of Students for Justice in Palestine. “We would have an Islamic prayer, a Jewish prayer and a Christian prayer, because we understand that it is not about religion, but about equality for human beings.”

After pushback from community members, the University revoked approval of the event. On September 1, in a letter from President Darryll J. Pines, the University of Maryland stated that it would only hold university-sponsored expressive events on October 7. They said the decision was made based on UMPD’s recommendation, with safety being a primary concern. .

“I think Students for Palestine Justice strategically chose this date, quite frankly, to inflict as much pain as possible on the Israeli and Jewish community at the University of Maryland,” said Michael Glass of the Zionist District from Baltimore.

However, following a lawsuit filed, a judge granted SJP’s motion for a preliminary injunction, requiring the University to reinstate SJP’s reservation for the McKeldin Mall, subject to a $2,500 bond being imposed by the court at SJP.

“Overall, we are very happy that they are giving us back our rights to be able to organize an educational vigil on October 7,” Colombi said. “We believe this is the bare minimum that again constitutes our constitutional right to freedom of expression.”

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However, Glass, who was also present at the hearing, said he was disappointed with the decision.

“The judge acknowledged and talked about some of the SJP things, some of the slogans that they used,” Glass said.

“This amounts to hate speech,” he added.

In the ruling, the judge said: “Groups opposed to the event were deeply offended by an event on October 7, the day it was widely reported that Hamas fighters had invaded Jewish settlements near Gaza, killing some 1,200 occupants, torturing 10) Individuals and groups opposing the SJP’s proposed October 7 event were even more offended. due to likely references in the event to Hamas fighters as patriots, martyrs or freedom fighters, and by at least one slogan arguably interpreted as calling for the extinction of Israel (“From the River to the Sea “) Many university students, parents, alumni, donors, and members of the public have expressed passionate opposition to the event; these same terms appear virtually daily in the media.11 They express ideas, however vile they may be. appear to some. There is no reason why they should not be protected as speech when used in a public university forum. “

The judge also said there is no suggestion that Jewish students will be threatened or harassed, or otherwise prevented from attending classes.

“Overall, SJP appears to want to hold another peaceful, albeit highly controversial, event. But this is a matter of rights, not hurt feelings. The freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment may be the the most important law this country has,” says the judgment.

“I sincerely hope that some semblance of peace can be established, not only on college campuses, but globally,” Glass said. “What is happening in the Middle East is a tragedy and the loss of life in Israel and Gaza is tragic, but I hope we can move forward peacefully.”

In a statement, the University of Maryland said: “The University of Maryland recognizes and will respect the court’s decision and will work with all registered student organizers of events requested for October 7. Event organizers, campus officials and UMPD will implement a plan to allow all events to take place in accordance with the court’s decision Despite today’s court decision, the security concerns that have been raised remain a source of constant attention and focus for us.

“In accordance with the court’s decision, we will now move forward, addressing these concerns and challenges with care and caution, including the implementation of a robust security plan. This includes increased staffing and resources with a strong security presence”, they continued to say.