The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today condemned Pomona College for suspending 10 students for allegedly participating in a protest earlier this month calling for the college’s divestment from Israel’s genocide in Gaza. CAIR-LA also condemned the action as part of a long line of attempts from the college to suppress students’ pro-Palestinian advocacy.
SEE: Starr suspends Pomona College students for remainder of academic year without judicial process
On Oct. 7, more than 400 Pomona College students held a peaceful demonstration at Carnegie Hall calling for the school’s divestment from companies and manufacturers supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. At least 10 students are now facing disciplinary action for their alleged involvement in the protest. Pomona College reportedly canceled fact-finding meetings and judicial council hearings for the students and has placed them on immediate suspension for the remainder of the academic year.
According to the student publication Undercurrents, Pomona College has not shared individual evidence of policy violations with the students. Undercurrents also reportedly verified that at least one of the students facing suspension was not inside Carnegie Hall at the time of the protest.
The disciplinary suspension prevents students from returning to the Pomona campus or participating in any activities, classes, or services until the Fall 2025 semester. Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr released a statement yesterday, Oct. 23, announcing that more students will be issued conduct notifications in the coming weeks.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik, Esq., said:
“We are deeply concerned by Pomona College’s suspension of students peacefully protesting their institution’s financial investments in Israel’s apartheid and genocide. Pomona’s own speech code states that free speech is critical to its mission, and yet the actions we have seen from the college’s leadership show that they have no intention of protecting students who exercise this right to speak up for Palestinian human rights.
“Across the country, we have witnessed double standards in how students speaking out against the genocide in Gaza are treated by their schools. Pomona’s actions are not only a continued attack on these students but also set a dangerous precedent that school administrators can suspend any student whose views they disagree with at will.”
In April, President Starr deployed some 30 officers, including a dozen in full riot gear, in response to an on-campus sit-in for Palestine, where 20 students were arrested, jailed, and served an immediate suspension from the college. An attorney for the students claimed that he was not permitted to see his clients and that both his clients and a police officer told him that they had not been read their Miranda rights.
CAIR-LA condemned Pomona College for its forcible suppression of student activists’ free speech and urged President Starr to take immediate action to protect the First Amendment rights of Pomona’s students.
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.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com