Advocates hail 'historic' University of Maryland settlement over pro-Palestinian speech

Rights advocates are hailing as "historic" a recent legal settlement for student activists from the University of Maryland.

The university has been ordered to pay $100,000 in a settlement agreement for University of Maryland Students for Justice in Palestine (UMD SJP), who were represented in the case by the Council on American Islamic Relations and Palestine Legal.

"This is a historic victory that signals for students across the country that their advocacy is protected by the first amendment," Zainab Chaudry, director of the Maryland chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, told The New Arab.

"Considering the political climate we're living in, with the Trump administration cracking down on campus protected free speech for Palestinian rights, this victory sends a signal to campus officials trying to silence students," she said.

The case was filed following the university administration's revoked permission for a planned interfaith vigil on the one-year anniversary of the October 2023 attack led by Hamas, prior to Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.

The university had said it was compelled to cancel all events around that time due to threats from those who opposed the vigil.

"By challenging the silencing of UMD SJP on October 7th through our lawsuit, we have successfully defended the right to speak out against Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza and to challenge the University's complicity in the genocide," said Daniela Colombi in October, who testified at a hearing last year on behalf of UMD SJP, following a preliminary injunction in October, in a public statement issued by Palestine Legal.

Following news of the settlement, she said all the money would be used for Palestinian advocacy.

"The University of Maryland's so-called October 7th blackout date was an obvious attempt to silence even the mourning of Palestinian lives," said Ahmad Kaki, staff attorney at CAIR National, in a public statement.

"We're glad the Court saw through this transparent censorship attempt, and we hope this settlement sends a message to institutions across the country that capitulating to bad faith, anti-Palestinian pressure will cost you," he said.

The court also noted that the popular chant "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" is protected speech.

This settlement comes amid growing tensions over free speech on campus, particularly related to pro-Palestinian advocacy. In his second term, US President Donald Trump has ramped up efforts to quell student activism, which has included threats to withhold funding to universities, crackdowns on student activists and congressional hearings on antisemitism.

Nevertheless, pro-Palestinian activism has continued to grow and is expected to continue into the next academic year, as Gaza's hunger crisis, imposed by Israel, intensifies and plans being made towards occupation and resettlement of the besieged coastal enclave.

According to Gaza's health ministry, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel and more than 111,000 have been wounded.