Anti-Israel groups at UWM that called Jewish orgs ‘genocidal extremists’ protest suspension

Members from five anti-Israel groups at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that were recently suspended for seemingly making threats against Jewish groups recently protested against the disciplinary measures. 

Members of the coalition held a protest on Monday in response to the groups’ suspension, and conducted a march that blocked traffic in Milwaukee. 

Audari Tamayo, a member of the UWM Popular Students for Palestine, defended the anti-Israel movement at the school, claiming it is not anti-Semitic. 

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“During the encampment we had multiple Shabbat services, religious services for everybody that wanted one, Jewish educators that talked on a variety of topics, primarily Anti-Zionist Jewish history,” Tamayo said. 

The five groups were suspended for making statements that appeared to threaten Jewish groups on campus, writing: “We will no longer normalize genocidal extremists walking on our campus. Any organization or entity that supports Israel is not welcome at UWM. This includes the local extremist groups such as Hillel, Jewish Federation, etc.”

“We refuse to normalize extremists and extremist groups walking around our campus,” the statement continued. “We are watching Israel’s legitimacy and international recognition fall to pieces on the world stage. Any organization that has not separated themselves from Israel will be treated accordingly as extremist criminals. Stay tuned.”

In response to the controversial statements, UWM announced the temporary suspension of the groups, and wrote that it “strongly denounces these statements and denounces any form of antisemitism.” 

[RELATED: Faculty for Justice in Palestine groups form, emulating anti-Israel student organization]

Tamayo alleged that the university’s disciplining of the groups only increased their support on campus, stating that “All five student organizations of the coalition saw a growth in followers, so it didn’t pan out for [UWM].”

The Milwaukee Jewish Federation additionally told Spectrum News it supported the suspension, saying it demonstrated that the school and the UW System in general is prioritizing student safety and “investigating all incidents of harassment or intimidation.”

“While we wish the University would have taken these steps this Spring when community members pushed them to uphold campus policy, and before many more months of Jewish students enduring harassment and exclusion, we appreciate that they are now investigating this escalating intimidation by student groups,” the group’s statement continued.

Campus Reform has contacted the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.