University of Minnesota law professor Richard Painter and former University Regent Michael Hsu encouraged in December the Department of Education to investigate antisemitism at the University following a statement made by the Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies Department (GWSS).
The GWSS statement condemned all forms of state-sponsored terrorism by the Israeli government in Gaza. The department focused on addressing the University directly, emphasizing the urgent need for economic divestment from the settler state, and supporting student and faculty advocates amid potential backlash.
Even after explicitly stating that opposition to the illegal settlement was in no way antisemitic, the statement still drew criticism.
Painter said through condemnation of Israel’s war crimes by faculty members, Jewish students would feel intimidated in their academic institutions.
“This has to do with the abuse of power and the potential future of abuse if this is not addressed,” Painter said.
The pending investigation isn’t a shock. Similar attacks are occurring at 98 other college campuses across the United States, where an outpouring of support for the Free Palestine movement has been met with allegations of antisemitism. These allegations are not only harmful to pro-Palestinian advocacy — they’re simply not true.
Supporters of the Israeli government have falsely compared antisemitism to anti-Zionism. Zionism operates on the belief that Israel is solely a Jewish state, viewing the occupation as necessary. This ideology has been used to justify the deaths of 25,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, not even including those who have died during prior decades of violence.
However, Zionism and Judaism cannot be compared. The belief that these ideologies are interchangeable characterizes Jewish people as a monolith. As many as one in 10 Jewish people support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement — an important percentage to note when falsely equating the religion with the ideology. Equating the actions of a historically oppressive government with a religious group is even more problematic in the context of a violent occupation.
Emily Chu, a member of the University’s Students for a Democratic Society, said Painter and Hsu’s claims are weak. Especially given the prevalence of groups such as Jewish Voices for Peace protesting for a free Palestine, it becomes clear that claims of antisemitism are intended to demonize the movement.
“I see the conflation [of pro-Palestinian advocacy] with antisemitism as a way to create a legal, legitimate basis for the repression of pro-Palestinian voices,” Chu said.
Relentless false accusations of antisemitism intended to discredit pro-Palestinian advocacy force activist groups to defend themselves constantly. Students for Justice in Palestine, a multi-chapter group at the University, released a statement with other Big Ten Schools to reject the mischaracterization of their mission as antisemitic.
These allegations are stalling the progress these organizations work tirelessly for.
“The pro-Palestinian movement has done so much work to heavily regulate and police their image to appear palatable to the media,” Chu said. “There is a double standard in how our activism is treated compared to pro-Israeli voices when they speak their rhetoric.”
Accusations of antisemitism have fostered a culture of silence and fear for Palestinian activist groups.
These claims are made to paint advocates negatively, forcing them to backtrack on their activism in self-defense, said Ali Abu-Atieh, board member of Students for Justice in Palestine. The rhetoric used by pro-Palestinian groups isn’t antisemitic. The intention is to villainize these movements through false claims.
According to Painter, the complaint isn’t intended to target student-led advocacy groups but instead to discourage faculty members from making statements he believes violate Title VI. Title VI prohibits discrimination of individuals on the basis of race, color and origin in programs that receive public funding, such as schools.
Criticisms of the Israeli government are in no way discriminatory towards Jewish students. False claims of antisemitism on every level have become a means of mass gaslighting to curb Palestinian liberation movements. His complaint only reiterates the harmful, baseless rhetoric that defenders of Israel use to wrongfully justify attacks on both Palestinians and the people who fight for them.
The belief that antisemitism and the Free Palestine movement are synonymous is a dangerous false equivalence. The Department of Education’s investigation is an example of advocacy being silenced under the guise of curbing hate.
It goes without saying that violence is unacceptable. But focusing on false claims of antisemitism and mislabeling pro-Palestinian activists as endorsers of violence is disingenuous.
Although the GWSS department was explicit in its intention to solely criticize the actions of the Israeli government, using antisemitism as a red herring to distract from the unfolding genocide in Gaza is becoming increasingly common.
Two Edina High School students were suspended for three days after using a pro-Palestinian chant. Columbia University suspended two pro-Palestine student groups for “threatening rhetoric and intimidation” during peaceful demonstrations. A Palestinian student was expelled from a Florida high school after his mother posted pro-Palestine content on social media on the grounds of “hateful and incendiary” speech. These false claims suppress students from exercising their freedom of speech and protest.
Injustice under a different name is still injustice. Using false accusations of antisemitism to silence pro-Palestinian activists isn’t just problematic — it actively puts their lives at risk. In October, a man attempted to attack peaceful protestors with a box cutter outside the Walker Art Center. He then attempted to get in his car and drive straight through the crowd. Other violent attacks on protestors have occurred throughout the nation.
I applaud the GWSS department for using their platform to condemn the violence unfolding in Gaza. Our educators have one unwavering duty: to educate.
In a world where condemning the gross human rights violations orchestrated by the Israeli government has somehow become controversial, the department demonstrated courage and integrity. It is imperative the University follows suit and meets the department’s demands to protect its students and faculty.