A federal judge ruled the University of Maryland must allow pro-Palestinian students to hold an interfaith vigil Oct. 7, the day marking one year since the Hamas attack in Israel.
The group Students for Justice in Palestine sued UMD for civil rights violations after the school banned all student-run events for Oct. 7, citing safety concerns.
"Free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment may be the most important law this country has," wrote the judge who ruled in favor of the students.
The vigil planned by Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace is for mourning Palestinians killed by Israel.
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“College campuses have always had a special place, special role in this country as, I think, the conscience of our society,” said Gadeir Abbas, an attorney with Council on American-Islamic Relations who represented the students who sued UMD.
UMD cited safety threats including an email saying UMD President Darryll Pines’ family should be slaughtered, another referencing a “Klan rally with sheets and a noose,” and a caller who said she was “locked and loaded” and planned to take a gun for self-defense.
The federal judge ruled Students for Justice in Palestine must post a $2,500 bond as security for the vigil.
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The university issued a statement Tuesday saying it will abide by the court’s decision and work with student organizers who want to hold events on Oct. 7. The school said it plans to increase its staffing and security presence on that day.
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