The Palestine Wars on Campus

ATTACKS ON CAMPUS activism continue as a leading wedge of the Trump-Musk administration’s full-frontal assault on education, race and gender equality, basic government services, and the U.S. Constitution. This is the context for news that breaks daily.

On February 4, reports Jennifer Ruth on Academe Blog, “the Department of Education announced investigations into Columbia University, Northwestern University, Portland State University, the University of California Berkeley, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, explaining that ‘widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported’ at these five institutions.”

In reality, an official from Portland State explains, these are “directed investigations” ordered by the new administration – not responding to any specific complaint from an individual.

Among the five universities named, at least two — Columbia and Northwestern — have themselves been attacking pro-Palestinian activism by students and faculty, including the suspension or firing of tenured professors.

At the University of Michigan, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan and the Sugar Law Center have “filed a federal lawsuit (February 3) on behalf of people whom the University of Michigan has banned from its Ann Arbor campus after they participated in pro-Palestine protests on campus…

“Along with blocking their participation in future campus protests — whether about Palestine or any other issue of public concern — the bans can keep students from attending class, stop others from performing work-related duties on school property, and prevent communities from stepping foot on a vast campus that is generally open to the public.”

The bans were imposed at hearings where “no evidence was presented” and “no explanation was offered,” claims the ACLU of Michigan.

Meanwhile Donald Trump announces that he’ll revoke the visas and deport “alien students” who “support jihad,” meaning any advocacy for Palestinian people’s rights.

None of this is separate, of course, from giving Trump’s attack-Doggie Elon Musk access to the Treasury Department with the personal information of every U.S. taxpayer. Resistance must engage on multiple fronts.

March-April 2025, ATC 235