Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 19, 2024

In November 2023, a group of pro-Israel students filed a complaint against Gualtieri falsely labeling her as antisemitic for a statement she made in an academic setting in support of Palestinian rights.

The complaint against Gualtieri is an example of one of the primary tactics that opponents of the movement for Palestinian freedom have used to silence criticism of Israels human rights violations, by branding all support for Palestinian rights as anti-Jewish. Roughly half of the incidents of suppression Palestine Legal responds to each year include false accusations of antisemitism.

Gualtieri received notice of the investigation by the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (EEO-TIX) in February 2024. In March, she was required to attend an investigatory meeting and was joined by Palestine Legal senior staff attorney Zoha Khalili. Gualtieri noted that the university could easily have accessed documentary evidence showing that the core of the allegations in the complaint was a fabrication and could have dismissed the complaint without involving her. The university nonetheless pursued the investigation for months after Gualtieri provided them with evidence showing the falseness and discriminatory nature of the complaint.

I believe this fabrication was deliberate, and those who launched the complaint were emboldened to do so by the climate of anti-Palestinian racism on our campus, said Gualtieri.

Earlier this spring, USC invited the LAPD in riot gear to club and zip-tie Palestinian and associated students for staging a peaceful Gaza Solidarity Encampment and demanding their university divest from genocide. The university also abruptly cancelled the 2024 valedictorians commencement speech because pro-Israel groups complained about her support for Palestinian rights.

Because of Gualtieris history of Palestine solidarity activism and her principled support for Palestinian, Arab, and allied students amidst Israels ongoing genocide in Gaza, she was targeted and forced to undergo a months-long investigatory process that took time away from both her workload and advocacy.

The complaint against Gualtieri is part of a systematic and escalating pattern of attacks on scholars, staff, and students on campuses nationwide who express support for Palestinian rights. As documented in Palestine Legals latest report on the post-Oct 7th crackdown on Palestine solidarity in the US, nearly half of the total requests for legal support Palestine Legal received between October 7 and December 31, 2024, were related to the suppression of Palestinian rights advocacy on campuses.

Columbia University recently deposed tenured law professor Katherine Franke over comments that were misconstrued by supporters of Israel. Her decades-long career is now at risk because of her defense of students who support Palestinian freedom. ADC National has shared an action alert demanding Columbia reverse course. In a similar case, Professor Sang Hea Kil at San Jose State University has been temporarily suspended as retaliation against her support for Palestine and student activists. A petition has been launched demanding her reinstatement.

These discriminatory attacks force scholars and advocates to spend significant time combating false accusations that could ruin their careers and are intended to deter others from publicly supporting Palestinian rights for fear of similar backlash.

The baseless investigation of Dr. Gualtieri is emblematic of a broader effort by pro-Israel groups to hijack antidiscrimination policies to distract, punish, and silence people who speak out in support of Palestinian rights, said senior staff attorney Zoha Khalili. While it is a relief that the university made the right decision and dismissed the complaint, the university has failed to remedy the toll this investigation has taken on Dr. Gualtieri and her academic and departmental responsibilities. Universities must be vigilant to prevent mechanisms meant to promote justice and equity from being weaponized to harm the marginalized voices that most need protection.

Gualtieri and the Palestine Justice Faculty Group at USC have advocated for an advisory committee on Palestinian life as a remedial measure toward ending the climate of anti-Palestinian racism on campus.

"To students being harassed for their Palestine activism: know that we, as faculty, will stand with you. We will not remain silent; we will protect and support you, said Dr. Sarah Gualtieri.

See the rest here:

Victory: University of Southern California Dismisses Anti-Palestinian Complaint Against Professor Gualtieri - Palestine Legal

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