Temple University investigating anti-Israel march targeting Jewish center
Temple University is investigating a pro-Palestine march organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, which targeted a Jewish center on campus with chants.
The university president emphasized that while free speech is protected, harassment and intimidation of Jewish individuals will not be tolerated.
Temple University has opened an investigation into an anti-Israel protest that happened outside of a building where Hillel is housed.
The march was organized on Aug. 29 by Temple University’s chapter of the controversial anti-Israel student group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
On Aug. 14, Temple’s SJP chapter advertised the demonstration on its Instagram account, lamenting that “[a]cademic institutions, including Temple University, have yet to condemn Israel’s actions or divest from the bloodthirsty, ethnostate of apartheid.”
In its announcement of the protest, Temple SJP continued to denounce Temple for supporting what it called a “barbaric assault on humanity.”
“As Temple University promotes its heavily policed and ‘safe’ campus environment, it continues to support the obliteration of thousands of Palestinian students in Gaza,” Temple SJP stated. “In fact, Temple continues to punish students who protest this barbaric assault on humanity––charging them with violations of the Code of Conduct.”
“A new semester begins, but our demand remains the same: Temple University must disclose and divest,” the post concluded.
In a statement released on Aug. 29 following the demonstration, Temple University President Richard M. Englert stated that, while Temple is committed to honoring the First Amendment, it is nonetheless possible for protests to become so disruptive that they cross the bounds of free speech.
“While the protest began at the Charles Library, some of the demonstrators migrated to The Rosen Center, the home of the Temple chapter of Hillel, an international organization that supports Jewish life on college campuses,” Englert described. “While there, the demonstrators used megaphones to chant directly at the occupants within the building.”
Englert asserted that targeted harassment of Jewish centers on campus is not acceptable and that the Temple administration would investigate the incident.
“Targeting a group of individuals because of their Jewish identity is not acceptable and intimidation and harassment tactics like those seen today will not be tolerated,” Englert stated. “Temple’s Division of Student Affairs is now actively investigating the incident.”
“If students or student organizations are found to be involved,” Englert’s message concluded, “they will be subject to disciplinary action under the Student Conduct Code.”
This is not the first incident this summer in which Jewish groups at Temple University have been targeted by anti-Israel demonstrators.
Campus Reform reported last month that a Jewish fraternity at Temple University was vandalized and sprayed with anti-Israel messages such as “free Palestine.”