Student protesters condemn ‘anti-Palestinian censorship’ at University of Rochester

Pro-Palestine students from multiple schools in Rochester, New York protested against alleged ‘anti-Palestinian censorship’ on their campuses in December.

The demonstration followed another Rochester protest led by Students for Justice in Palestine in which a student struck a security officer.

Pro-Palestine students congregated at the University of Rochester to protest what they claimed were efforts to censor them for their views. 

On Dec. 13, students from several upstate New York schools protested on the University of Rochester campus against their schools’ alleged “anti-Palestinian censorship,” as reported by ABC affiliate WHAM. 

According to NBC affiliate WHEC, the students came from Monroe Community College, the University of Rochester, Nazareth University, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, all of which are located in Rochester.

[RELATED: WATCH: Pro-Palestine crowd ‘closes’ campus building, casts ‘shame’ on students trying to attend class]

This demonstration came in the wake of another protest on Dec. 11 at the university that was arranged by the group, Students for Justice in Palestine, which held the event even though the university cautioned them to stop, according to WHAM.

The university said that the students were warned that they could be subjected to disciplinary measures, including expulsion, as reported by Rochester First.

One of the security officers who was brought in to manage the situation was reportedly hit by a student protestor, who was then arrested, as reported by WHAM.

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WHAM reported that the public safety officers’ union at the university released an official statement condemning the protestors. “It is by now clear that this group has no respect, or interest in complying with, University policies or the Code of Conduct, and that it is willing to jeopardize the safety of our officers in furtherance of its mission,” it stated.

Campus Reform has contacted the University of Rochester, Nazareth University, the Rochester Institute of Technology, Monroe Community College, and the University of Rochester’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.