Several civil rights groups have called on the Departments of Justice and Education to investigate police responses to campus protests over Israel’s war with Hamas this school year.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the National Urban League and numerous Arab and Jewish groups have called for civil rights investigations into several of the schools where the protests took place, including Columbia University, Emory University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
They are calling on federal agencies to “investigate allegations of law enforcement misconduct, which may violate federal law, in response to peaceful protests taking place in cities and on college campuses across the country.”
More than 2,000 people were arrested at dozens of pro-Palestinian camps set up on campus, largely in violation of school policies regarding camping on university grounds.
Students at Columbia University even briefly occupied campus buildings, and other universities saw vandalism and disruption during final exam week, including at UCLA where riots broke out after pro-Israel protesters invaded a camp of pro-Palestinian activists.
The groups are concerned about the use of force by police, who have reportedly used tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper balls at some protests.
“Many current peaceful protesters, including students, faculty and other stakeholders, are similarly exercising their constitutional rights by expressing their condemnation of the extreme and escalating violence in Gaza,” the letter to ministries and agencies said.
