The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned an unconstitutional threat by President Donald Trump to punish anti-genocide student protesters and academic institutions that allow “illegal” protests.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on [sic] on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“Free speech is a cornerstone of democracy and academic freedom. So are acts of peaceful civil disobedience. The students of the past who protested the Vietnam war, segregation and apartheid South Africa were technically violating the law when they refused orders to disperse their protests, sit-ins, and marches, but we celebrate those students today. Today, we should celebrate and protect the students who have peacefully protested U.S. support for the Israeli government’s genocidal campaign of slaughter, destruction, ethnic cleansing, and starvation in Gaza.
“If President Trump wants students to stop protesting the genocide in Gaza, he should ensure that the genocide stops permanently. Otherwise, he should expect students to continue engaging in acts of peaceful protest and civil disobedience without fear of the federal government’s unconstitutional, enforceable threats to crack down on free speech.”
Last year, CAIR released ‘Hostile’: How Universities Target Anti-Genocide Protesters, detailing unprecedented efforts across the country to suppress students from advocating for Palestinians.
In January, CAIR announced the launch of a dedicated webpage, titled “Hostile Campuses,” as part of its “Unhostile Campus Campaign” aimed at fostering a campus environment in which Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and other students, faculty, and staff opposing the genocide in Gaza enjoy free speech and academic freedom and are not subjected to state force or university discipline due to their viewpoints.
Students, staff, and faculty who wish for their university or college campus to be potentially designated as a hostile campus should complete the ‘Report a Hostile Campus’ form. This form is intended solely to inform CAIR’s ‘UnHostile Campus Campaign.’ Individuals seeking CAIR’s legal and advocacy services should contact their local office or chapter, or if there is no local chapter, file a formal report with CAIR’s National Civil Rights Department.
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CONTACT: CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, csaylor@cair.com; CAIR Research and Advocacy Manager Farah Afify, 202-742-6410, fafify@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com