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ACLU of RI calls on Brown to reinstate SJP chapter

The letter claimed that the suspension is in violation of free speech and expression rights.

A student holds a sign reading "End all U.S. aid to Israel" in a pro-Palestine rally.

When asked to respond to the letter, University Spokesperson Brian Clark said “we do not work through the news media to address community concerns or questions.” 

On Wednesday morning, the ACLU of Rhode Island sent a letter to President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 and other University administrators demanding the University immediately lift the temporary suspension of Brown’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Brown temporarily suspended SJP, pending an external investigation into conduct violations, following an Oct. 18 protest of the University’s decision not to divest from companies affiliated with Israel. The University previously cited “alleged threatening, intimidating and harassing actions” as rationale for the conduct review. 

According to the ACLU letter, the University’s suspension of SJP and disciplinary letter “lack even the most rudimentary ideals of fairness” and “severely undermine” the University’s mission of “upholding the principles of freedom of expression for all views and perspectives.”

“This suspension and a purported commitment to free speech on campus cannot co-exist,” the letter reads.

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The letter also claimed that the notice of suspension did not sufficiently explain why the misconduct is “being attributed at this stage to SJP as opposed to particular individuals.” 

When asked to respond to the letter, University Spokesperson Brian Clark said “we do not work through the news media to address community concerns or questions.” 

“We value direct engagement, and our response will come directly to the ACLU representatives,” he said.

The letter was signed by leaders of Brown’s student ACLU chapter and Steven Brown, the executive director of ACLU R.I. 

The ACLU R.I. is not currently planning to pursue a legal suit against the University, Steven Brown wrote in an email to The Herald. He added that the letter was sent at the directive of the ACLU student chapter at Brown, and not by SJP.

In a statement to The Herald, an SJP spokesperson called for the University to reinstate the student group, calling the suspension “a deeply unjust political ploy by the administration in line with the intense repression of anti-genocide protestors around the country.” The spokesperson was granted anonymity due to fear of retaliation in the ongoing investigation into SJP.

Clark did not respond to an inquiry about the ongoing investigation.

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Sophia Wotman

Sophia Wotman is a University news editor covering activism and affinity & identity. She is a junior from Long Island, New York concentrating in Political Science with a focus on women’s rights. She is a jazz trumpet player, and often performs on campus and around Providence.



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