The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today called on Chapman University to launch an investigation into the man who threatened anti-genocide student protesters on the college’s campus earlier this week. It also demanded that the university take immediate action to protect its students from harassment.
SEE: Video of Man Who Threatened Chapman Students With Knife – credit: SJP Chapman
A recent post on Instagram from the Chapman University’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) account shows a video of a man following and aggressively brandishing a knife at SJP members.
Students participating in peaceful pro-Palestine protests on college campuses across the country have been subjected to harassment and violence. On April 30, students participating in UCLA’s Gaza Solidarity encampment were violently attacked, and several injured, by pro-Israel extremists
In a statement, CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik said:
“The recent report of pro-Palestinian students being threatened while on campus is extremely alarming. Our colleges and universities have a legal and moral obligation to protect their students against harassment, and Chapman University must take immediate action to identify and hold the perpetrator accountable for his violence and to ensure the safety of the student protesters.
“Students in Southern California who are participating in peaceful protests calling for the humanity of the Palestinian people and divestment from Israeli apartheid are being subject to discriminatory intimidation, doxxing, assaults, being spat on, being threatened with violence, and being subjected to racist, anti-Black, Islamophobic, and anti-Palestinian statements. It is up to their schools to ensure that these students are protected from harassment and their rights to free speech respected.”
CAIR-LA sent a letter to Chapman University President Daniele Struppa and Vice President Norma Bouchard in support of the student protesters at the school’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment. The letter calls on the university to:
- Take all necessary steps to identify and hold accountable the man who threatened pro-Palestinian student protesters with a knife on camps.
- Fulfill its legal obligation to protect its students who have been subjected to harassment because of their protected categories.
- Not engage in any heavy-handed use of law enforcement to intimidate, harass, and crack down on non-violent student protesters.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
– END –
CONTACT: CAIR-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851, eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com