Students at Vanderbilt University staged a sit-in that led to arrests on Tuesday amid unrest over the institution’s refusal to allow the Student Government Senate to consider joining the anti-Zionist Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks to isolate Israel.
Vanderbilt University graduate assistant Amar Latif Qazi told The Tennessee Star that the First Amendment rights of the university’s students were infringed after Vanderbilt refused to allow a vote following a petition, reportedly signed by 600 students, which sought to amend the Vanderbilt Student Government Constitution in order to join the BDS movement.
Critics argue BDS is antisemitic due to its refusal to accept the self-determinism of the Jewish people in the biblical land of Israel.
Qazi asserted Vanderbilt protesting students suffered “suppression of free speech and oppression of students,” leading to a 155-hour sit-in outside the university’s Kirkland Hall.
A number of students eventually entered the hall on Tuesday, where they remained for most of the day. Qazi said students were not allowed to leave the protest to use the restroom over the 14 hours they occupied the building. He also stated that Vanderbilt security did not allow the protesters to receive food deliveries despite themselves having sandwiches delivered.
“This treatment of students is beyond the violation of First Amendment, it is outright inhuman and disgusting,” Qazi told The Star, revealing one of the protesters was denied access to a restroom to replace her feminine hygiene product.
Qazi additionally claimed Vanderbilt engaged in threats of “retribution and surveillance” against the students who joined the protest.
During the protest, Nashville Scene reporter Eli Motycka was arrested by Vanderbilt police after he reportedly attempted to gain access to Kirkland Hall.
Scene reporter Eli Motycka (@ejmotycka) was arrested by Vanderbilt police while reporting on student protests. pic.twitter.com/5HPcRHtI7H
— Nashville Scene (@NashvilleScene) March 26, 2024
The university said in a statement to The Vanderbilt Hustler that Motycka was arrested for repeatedly attempting to enter Kirkland Hall, where a number of protesters had already gained access, despite repeatedly being told it was closed due to construction.
At least 27 students have reportedly faced suspension or disciplinary action since the sit-in began.
Unrest at Vanderbilt came just over one month after a significant number of students walked out of a Zoom talk delivered by Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, with a video showing the students leaving the room as soon as Greenblatt started to speak.
Despite the ADL generally aligning itself with the far-left, a Vanderbilt student group claimed in a post to social media the organization’s support for Israel makes it “a threat to marginalized community” and the university “put marginalized students at risk” by inviting Greenblatt to speak via Zoom.
“Jonathan Greenblatt’s presence on campus threatens marginalized communities, including [sic] Black, Muslim, Arab, queer, and non-Zionist Jewish students, among other groups,” claimed the Jewish Voice for Peace group at Vanderbilt.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Vanderbilt Students at Pro-Palestinian Protest” by Steve McGuire.
