A Chilling Effect on Pro-Palestinian Speech

null Nov. 16, 2023 7:58 pm ETSproul Plaza on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, March 29, 2022. Photo: Eric Risberg/Associated PressIn “Don’t Hire My Anti-Semitic Law Students” (op-ed, Oct. 16), our colleague Steven Davidoff Solomon at the University of California, Berkeley, urges law firms not to hire students who support Palestinian liberation, accusing them of anti-Semitism. While he has a legal right to express his sentiments, a tenured professor advocating punishment based on political beliefs abdicates the duty of education.Prof. Solomon’s op-ed has a chilling effect on students’ political speech and fundamentally violates academic integrity. It fosters doxing and discrimination against students expressing solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide by Israel. Instead of engaging or protecting, it fans aggression against them. And Mr. Solomon is not alone.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8Continue r

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A Chilling Effect on Pro-Palestinian Speech

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Nov. 16, 2023 7:58 pm ET

Sproul Plaza on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, March 29, 2022. Photo: Eric Risberg/Associated Press

In “Don’t Hire My Anti-Semitic Law Students” (op-ed, Oct. 16), our colleague Steven Davidoff Solomon at the University of California, Berkeley, urges law firms not to hire students who support Palestinian liberation, accusing them of anti-Semitism. While he has a legal right to express his sentiments, a tenured professor advocating punishment based on political beliefs abdicates the duty of education.

Prof. Solomon’s op-ed has a chilling effect on students’ political speech and fundamentally violates academic integrity. It fosters doxing and discrimination against students expressing solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide by Israel. Instead of engaging or protecting, it fans aggression against them. And Mr. Solomon is not alone.