Universities Unveil New Rules to Ban Anti-Israel Protests and Criticism of Zionism

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Universities across America are unveiling new rules aimed at banning anti-Israel protests on campus and classifying criticism of “Zionists” as “hate speech.”

The Jewish Daily Forward on Wednesday shared the following list of changes aimed at shutting down students’ right to protest:

• Indiana University, as part of its “expressive activity” policy, now bars protests within 25 feet of university buildings, or any demonstrations that block “any building, facility, driveway, parking lot or parking ramp”
• University of South Florida is banning all protests after 5 p.m. and during the final two weeks of each semester. It is also requiring approval for all on-campus tents and canopies, and saying they cannot be left out overnight without prior authorization.
• Vanderbilt University is banning all demonstrations that “require individuals to sleep or gather overnight.” On-campus displays are only allowed during daylight hours and for up to three consecutive days.
• University of California has prohibited encampments on its 10 campuses, and also said protesters cannot wear masks or disguises that conceal their identity
• California State University has adopted the same rules for its 23 campuses.
• University of Pennsylvania: No encampments or overnight demonstrations
• University of Virginia is banning tents on campus unless approved, and prohibiting all structures, including tents, from being left up overnight.
• James Madison University: No tents or other items used to create a shelter unless approved.
• University of Connecticut has not only banned encampments but also tools used to amplify sound at outdoor gatherings.
• Syracuse University now requires authorization for on-campus “use or assembly of tents or other temporary shelter structures.”

Suspending student organizations on campus …

• Rutgers University has suspended its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine until July 2025
• George Washington University has also suspended its SJP chapters, along with its chapter of Jewish Voices for Peace and six other pro-Palestinian groups

… or online

• Columbia University’s chapter of SJP was permanently banned on Instagram. The group received a notice from Meta stating their account “doesn’t follow our Community Guidelines.”
• New York University’s People’s Solidarity Coalition, previously known as the Palestine Solidarity Committee, was suspended on Instagram

Conduct codes

• New York University has new community standards that say using the terms Zionist or Zionism in a derogatory way may violate its non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.
• University of Virginia and James Madison University both now require anyone wearing a face covering to show identification if asked.
• Cornell University, following vandalism on the first day of classes, outlined new and detailed consequences such as temporary academic suspension for violating its codes

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The Times of Israel has more on NYU’s new “hate speech” rules aimed at suppressing criticism of “Zionists”:

Students and faculty who discriminate against or harass “Zionists” may be violating New York University’s hate speech policies, according to the school’s updated guidelines for the fall semester.

In July, Meta banned the use of “Zionist” as a cover for attacks on Jews or Israelis on its platforms. Now, NYU, which like many universities became embroiled in pro-Palestinian unrest during the last school year year, appears to be the first college to take a stance on the term’s use.

“Using code words, like ‘Zionist,’ does not eliminate the possibility that your speech violates the NDAH [Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment] Policy,” read NYU’s new student community standards, which it published on Thursday.

The term Zionist, which has historically referred to people who support Jewish self-determination in the land of Israel, has increasingly functioned as a pejorative in the overheated climate amid the Israel-Hamas war. Many pro-Palestinian protests over the past year loudly condemned “Zionists,” while progressive activists have increasingly targeted “Zionists” in the cultural landscape and some Jewish students have described feeling excluded from campus activities if they do not denounce Zionism.

Pro-Palestinian activists claim that targeting “Zionists” is not antisemitic because not all Jews identify as Zionists. But many Jewish leaders counter that claim by arguing that support for the existence of a Jewish homeland is normative among contemporary Jews.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta banned claims of “Zionists” “running the world or controlling the media” as “hate speech” under lobbying from the World Jewish Congress.

Zuckerberg banned Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine the same day he wrote to Congress to say how much he “regrets” censoring Americans on behalf of the White House during covid.

As the school year is just about to begin, Columbia SJP has been permanently banned from Instagram. Our account was permanently deleted at 124k followers at the same time as our backup account, and when we made a new page it was deleted within 2 days.

— Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (@ColumbiaSJP) August 26, 2024

As I reported in July, US Anti-Semitism Czar Deborah Lipstadt applauded Zuckerberg’s Meta for enacting new rules to censor criticism of “Zionists” on Facebook and Instagram and also appeared to take credit for the move.

In 2020, Zuckerberg issued new speech codes for Facebook and Instagram to ban all Holocaust denial as well as all content which depicts “Jewish people running the world or controlling major institutions such as media networks, the economy or the government.”

“The idea of banning content that promotes stereotypes of Jewish global control came up a year ago, in a meeting with several Jewish groups convened by Facebook, and was pushed primarily by the World Jewish Congress,” The Jewish Daily Forward reported at the time.

WATCH: World Jewish Congress president Ron Lauder demands every nation adopt "severe laws" to jail their citizens for speech he deems antisemitic.

"Laws must be passed, severe, tough, real laws that will put these hatemongers away in prison for a long time!" pic.twitter.com/3nVyNQUQjL

— Chris Menahan 🇺🇸 (@infolibnews) July 9, 2024

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