Punishing pro-Palestine protests
New York, United States – It was December, and the end of the quarter was fast approaching at the University of Chicago.
Mamayan Jabateh, a fourth-year student, was working on a final paper about the politics of the "carceral state", inside a dorm on campus, when a knock came at the door.
Four Chicago police officers were standing on the other side. They presented Jabateh, who uses the pronoun "they", with a printed photograph. It showed them at a pro-Palestinian campus protest two months earlier, on October 11.
Jabateh was immediately handcuffed and hauled away. They were detained for 30 hours.
But the arrest was only the beginning: Jabateh was also indefinitely suspended and banned from campus.
Free-speech advocates are warning that, with attention on the protests waning and national politics in the United States swinging rightward, university punishments against pro-Palestinian protesters have grown harsher — something Jabateh knows firsthand.
"It's a really extreme reaction," says Megan Porter, a lawyer who is supporting Jabateh during the disciplinary process on a pro bono basis. "But it seems to be a tactic that a lot of universities are starting to take."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
5 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar calls on int'l community to take steps to stop Israeli atrocities against Palestinians
QNA Geneva Qatar has affirmed that impunity and lack of accountability have encouraged Israel to continue committing further violations and crimes against Palestinians. Qatar called on the international community to take the necessary measures to stop these crimes, ensure accountability for those responsible, and compel Israel, the occupying power, to comply with international law and ensure the restoration of all the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, in particular the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and fully sovereign State of Palestine on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. This came in Qatar's statement delivered by Permanent Representative of Qatar in Geneva HE Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah during her participation in the interactive dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, Item 2, within the framework of the 59th session of the Human Rights Council. She said that the report cited the seizure, theft, and destruction of Palestinian Islamic and Christian cultural and religious sites by the Israeli occupation forces and Israeli settlers, and the deliberate and unjustified targeting of educational facilities, particularly in the Gaza Strip, as well as UNRWA schools, despite being regularly informed of the coordinates of these schools and the lack of any evidence of military targets in these facilities. She said that these actions were a heinous crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The Qatari diplomat affirmed that this racist and criminal Israeli approach aimed to genocide the Palestinian people, displace them, and deprive Palestinian children and youth of their right to education, expand the scope of Israeli settlements, and undermine the identity and existence of the Palestinian people and their historical connection to the State of Palestine. She also welcomed the members of the International Commission of Inquiry and thanked them for their efforts.
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Qatar Tribune
Israel-Iran war: No signs of restraint
Agencies Tel Aviv/Tehran Israel has attacked civilian targets in Iran, striking a hospital and an Iranian state TV building as the intensive strikes against the other rage for a fourth consecutive day, with the military confrontation between the longstanding enemies showing no sign of ending. After those attacks, an Israeli military statement later Monday evening said air raid sirens' alerts were activated in several areas in the north of Israel following missile launches from Iran. A live broadcast on the Iranian TV station captured its most famous presenter on air saying a missile was incoming and scrambling away as an explosion took place and debris flew through the air. There are reports of casualties among journalists in the building. The strike came after a warning on Monday from Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said: 'The mouthpiece of Iranian propaganda and incitement is on the verge of disappearing'. Iran also said Israel targeted a hospital on Monday in the country's west, condemning it as a 'war crime'. 'Farabi Hospital in the city of Kermanshah in western Iran was targeted by the Israeli regime's aggressive attacks,' said Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that 'attacking hospitals alongside attacks on residential areas is a gross violation of international law and a war crime'. Video footage published by local platforms and verified by the Sanad fact-checking agency shows bloodstains, indicating casualties from the strike. Israel has repeatedly bombed hospitals and medical facilities in the Gaza Strip during its 20-month-long military campaign in the Palestinian territory, despite those being protected under international law. Iran's Fars news agency also reported on Monday that an Israeli attack targeted a military base in western Tehran. Iranian media also reported explosions in eastern parts of the capital, which comes after the Israeli army issued a threat to parts of Tehran after bombing several areas of the city on Sunday. Iranian media reported that air defences had been activated in western Tehran. Katz had threatened on Monday that 'the residents of Tehran will pay the price – and soon' for killing Israeli civilians in Iran's overnight missile attacks. Earlier, Iranian attacks on Israel on Monday morning killed at least eight people and wounded dozens, officials reported, while Tehran said Israeli attacks overnight hit military and civilian targets. The ongoing attacks, started by Israel on Friday and followed by Iranian retaliatory strikes, pushed the death toll in four days of open conflict between the foes close to 250. Raised rhetoric emanating from both countries following the exchange of strikes suggested there is little prospect of the hostilities halting soon, with the risk of an escalation into a wider regional conflict looming. Iran announced it had launched some 100 missiles and pledged further retaliation for Israel's sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure, which have killed at least 224 people in the country since Friday. In Israel, state broadcaster Israeli Army Radio reported that eight people were killed – five in the central part and three in the port city of Haifa. That takes the total death toll in Israel to more than 20 since it launched air attacks on Iran four days ago. Some 300 others are reported wounded. A branch of the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv sustained 'minor damage' as a result of the attack, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said. On Sunday, Iran said Israel had struck oil refineries, killed the IRGC's intelligence chief and hit population centres in intensive aerial attacks. Much of the world has urged restraint since the conflict broke out on Friday when Israel launched an attack on Iran's nuclear and missile facilities, killing military commanders and scientists. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he hoped the adversaries would 'make a deal', but added that they might have to 'fight it out' first. A staunch ally of Israel, Trump has maintained erratic messaging since the strikes began, raising concern that the conflict could escalate. Iran has said the US is complicit in the Israeli military action, and suggested it could target US forces in Syria and elsewhere in retaliation. Trump has insisted that Washington has 'nothing to do' with Israel's bombing campaign, but also threatened to unleash 'the full strength and might' of the US military if Iran attacked its interests in the Middle East.
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Qatar Tribune
UN rights chief urges world leaders to ‘wake up' to Gaza catastrophe
dpa Geneva UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has issued an urgent appeal to governments worldwide to take action in light of the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. 'Everyone in government needs to wake up to what is happening in Gaza. All those with influence must exert maximum pressure on Israel and Hamas, to put an end to this unbearable suffering,' Türk said on Monday at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva. He said that a lasting peace is only possible through a two-state solution, with Gaza forming part of a future Palestinian state. His comments came as medical sources said at least 51 Palestinians have been killed since dawn across Gaza on Monday, including 36 seeking aid for their hungry families at distribution points, mostly in the Rafah area in the south. After 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 kidnapped in unprecedented attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas in October 2023, Israel responded with a devastating bombardment of Gaza, killing more than 54,000 people according to Palestinian figures, and turning much of the area to rubble. Türk delivered sharp criticism of Israel's military campaign against Hamas, saying its 'means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians.' He condemned what he described as 'disturbing, dehumanizing rhetoric' by Israeli officials and criticized the ongoing blockade of UN humanitarian aid deliveries, which has been in place since March, leading to a disastrous humanitarian situation. He also called for an investigation into deaths linked to food distribution efforts coordinated through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial initiative backed by Israel and the United States. Civilians are often forced to walk miles through active conflict zones to reach the limited number of GHF aid centres. Dozens have been killed in the process. Israel and US reject UN Human Rights Council Israel, following the lead of the United States, has withdrawn from participation in the Human Rights Council, accusing both the Geneva-based body and Türk's office of systemic bias. President Donald Trump, upon returning to the White House, signed an executive order that cut US ties with UN bodies, including the rights council. The order said the council 'has protected human rights abusers by allowing them to use the organization to shield themselves from scrutiny.' Israel then announced it was boycotting the council, with the foreign minister saying it 'obsessively demonizes the one democracy in the Middle East - Israel.' Despite the absence of Israel and the US, the council retains the authority to examine human rights issues in any country. It operates as a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly, with 47 elected member states serving three-year terms. While only members can vote on resolutions, all UN states may attend sessions as observers, voice their views, or be the subject of investigations. But while the council can establish commissions of inquiry, it does not have the authority to impose sanctions. It is also grappling with severe financial shortfalls as several member states shift budget priorities from international institutions to military spending. Nonetheless, the council will review around 100 reports from independent experts investigating crisis situations around the world, including in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Sudan and the Palestinian Territories. The session runs through July 9.
