Tufts suspends pro-Palestinian student group, citing violent imagery and language

Tufts University suspended a pro-Palestinian student group last week after it used images of weapons to promote a protest rally and urged members of the Tufts community to “join the student intifada.”

Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine was placed on interim suspension on Oct. 2, according to a university spokesperson and a social media post from the group itself.

The Tufts spokesperson said that the group violated multiple university policies. They cited an Instagram post made by Tufts SJP on Sept. 30 that depicted people with assault rifles, called for followers to join a “student intifada,” and for them to “escalate for Gaza.”

The post was made to promote a series of demonstrations planned for this week that the group has dubbed a “week of rage,” marking the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks and the beginning of the current war.

“This comes as israel [sic] continues to rain bombs on Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Iran,” the group wrote in an online petition for its reinstatement. “Suspension of tuft SJP [sic] is an attempt to silence all student voices educating and agitating against genocide. It is absolutely legitimate to protest research ties, investments, and all ongoing support of genocide. A movement cannot be suspended.”

The Tufts spokesperson said Tufts SJP also violated university policies on Sept. 12, when members marched through an academic building and hung signs and blocked the entrance to another building. The group was already facing a conduct proceeding related to that event.

In addition, the spokesperson said that Tufts SJP “failed to meet the requirements from previous disciplinary actions related to demonstrations the group led last spring.” The group has already been “placed on a hold,” meaning that some of its privileges had been suspended.

“The suspension will remain in effect until the case is fully resolved. During this time, SJP must halt all activities, events, and meetings. Any attempt to continue operating during this suspension will result in serious disciplinary consequences for both the organization and its leaders,” the Tufts spokesperson said in a statement.

The student protesters appeared to ignore those threats Monday. Oct. 7 marked a year since Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages.

Instagram posts showed protesters marching through campus, sitting inside a School of Engineering building with a sign that read “Tufts investment office funds genocide,” and hanging a Palestinian flag inside.

Last year, demonstrators at Tufts set up a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” mirroring the tactics used by students at Columbia University and elsewhere to draw attention to Israel’s destruction of much of Gaza and the plight of Palestinian civilians. Israel’s military has killed approximately 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including 17,000 children, according to the United Nations.

Before the 2024-2025 academic year began, Tufts administrators outlined rules regarding protests on campus.

“At the start of this academic year, Tufts University emphasized its expectations for student protests and advocacy. We provided clear guidelines to ensure a learning environment free from disruption, while supporting students’ interests in speech and demonstration,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “As outlined in our August 22 message: ‘Advocacy and protest must not disrupt university operations, engage in name-calling or discrimination, or intimidate or harass others.’”

The Anti-Defamation League of New England commended Tufts for suspending the group.

As Israel invades Lebanon and ponders how to retaliate against Iran, protests against the country’s military actions, its wider treatment of Palestinians, and U.S. support for Israel’s military are also continuing outside of college campuses in Massachusetts. On Sunday, thousands of people took to Storrow Drive to block traffic and call for an end to the ongoing violence.