Jewish students from US campuses tour Israel in effort to combat antisemitism
FOX NewsMay 30
US Report: CUNY, Univ. of Michigan Failed to Quell Campus Tensions
Above: Pro-Israel protestors and Pro-Palestine protestors gather during a rally against the Baruch College Hillel campus organization at Baruch College on June 05, 2024 in New York City. Image copyright: Michael M. Santiago/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The US Dept. of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) found that the City University of New York (CUNY) and the University of Michigan failed to comply with Title VI discrimination laws when addressing Israel-Palestine issues on campus.
The OCR probed 75 reports of harassment and discrimination at the University of Michigan during the 2002-23 school year, finding "no evidence" that the school complied with laws against discrimination based on shared ancestry, such as being Jewish or Muslim.
The Spin
Pro-Israel narrative
Antisemitism runs deeper than just CUNY and Michigan, and its presence has jumped over 300% thanks to weak administrative responses. From Ivy League schools on the East Coast to the University of California, bad faith protesters are making life unbearable for their Jewish peers while college presidents turn a blind eye. Anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda is poisoning academia, and it must stop immediately.
Pro-Palestine narrative
If anyone is living in fear at college it's Palestine supporters. Militarized police are violently arresting peaceful anti-genocide protesters for simply exercising their First Amendment rights. The New York Police Department is even reportedly coordinating with the Israeli government to crack down on speech at Columbia University. The extreme crackdown on voices who support the plight of the Palestinian people is deeply disturbing.
Narrative C
Hate speech does not legally exist in the United States, especially regarding free speech at public universities. No matter how offensive it may be to a person, hateful words cannot and should not be treated as crimes. No matter what side one supports, you should question any decision to investigate or discipline purely speech-related issues. If suppression of speech is allowed to continue, the perception, and possibly the reality, of rising hate will only grow.