Two NYU professors barred from entry over Palestine support
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Andrew Ross and Sonya Posmentier have accused the university of expanding censorship of pro-Palestine discourse due to external pressure from funders and pro-"Israel" lobbies.
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New York University students and anti-"Israel", pro-Palestine supporters rally outside the NYU Stern School of Business building, on April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Two academics, Andrew Ross and Sonya Posmentier, accused New York University of expanding its censorship of pro-Palestine discourse due to pressure from funders, politicians, and pro-"Israel" lobbies.
Both tenured faculty members were banned from certain university buildings after participating in a sit-in and protests demanding the disclosure of investments in Israeli-related companies and the closure of NYU's Tel Aviv campus. On the second day of protests, they were detained and charged with minor offenses, including trespassing and disorderly behavior.
The institution also issued PNG orders to students who participated in the demonstration, as well as non-tenured teachers like Chenjerai Kumanyika, an assistant professor of journalism. Kumanyika stated on Bluesky that NYU had not provided information on how long the designation would continue or how it might be contested.
The American Association of University Professors criticized the PNG orders as akin to suspension and "part of a distressing pattern of repression of pro-Palestinian speech on college campuses."
Sociology professor Andrew Ross criticized NYU for sanctioning faculty members for the first time in connection with pro-Palestine rallies, calling it a "disturbing" and "unprecedented" move, particularly targeting Palestine-related discourse. Associate professor Sonya Posmentier described the action against her as part of the "Palestine exception", a trend at NYU and other US universities to suppress criticism of "Israel" while claiming to support free speech.
She contrasted this with the lack of disciplinary action in 2015 when a large "die-in" over Black Lives Matter occurred without repercussions.
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NYU accused last week's demonstrators of interrupting students studying in the library for exams by yelling, obstructing entry, and making "violent threats". University spokesperson John Beckman alleged that it was not a "peaceful protest" but an "intentional disruption of a core scholarly building, our library."
Ross criticized NYU for suppressing pro-Palestine rallies under external pressure, particularly from donors and Congress. He argued that universities, including NYU, are vulnerable to threats from these groups, who use their influence to stifle protests.
As a member of NYU's Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, Ross condemned the university's decision to have police arrest protesters, calling it "unconscionable", a failure to protect free speech, and an overreliance on campus security to suppress dissent.
Following the arrests, the university's president, Linda Mills, released a message to students informing them that "accepting assistance from police" was required to secure library access.
Last year, Mills ordered the NYPD to remove away two encampments in favor of Palestinians targeted by "Israel's" war on Gaza.
Since the outset of the war, the institution has filed over 180 disciplinary proceedings against students and professors over protests in Gaza. Some students at NYU have also been suspended for their conduct within academic buildings.
In August, NYU released "guidance" advising that the derogatory use of the term "Zionist" may be considered discriminatory in some circumstances because it is part of many Jews' identities.
