US university’s cancellation of Gaza war vigil sparks lawsuit

Two civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit against the cancellation of an interfaith vigil to mark the first anniversary of the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Palestine Legal have filed a lawsuit on behalf of University of Maryland Students for Justice in Palestine to challenge the university’s decision to cancel the group’s interfaith vigil to honor the lives lost over the past year.

The university had previously allowed the groups Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace to co-host the vigil. However, the administration reversed its decision following a pressure campaign by anti-Palestinian groups, according to a CAIR press release.

In its statement, CAIR said the university administration’s decision amounted to discrimination and a violation of students’ First Amendment rights.

“The university’s decision constitutes unlawful discrimination based on viewpoint and content, in violation of the First Amendment. This reversal continues a pattern in which universities across the country have targeted, harassed, and punished pro-Palestinian and anti-genocide students on their campuses,” CAIR’s public statement on the lawsuit reads.

Tori Porell, an attorney at Palestine Legal, said in a statement: “Throughout history, students have been the first to speak out for civil rights and divestment from apartheid South Africa to Palestine. The University of Maryland cannot ignore the Constitution to censor Palestinian and Jewish students simply because anti-Palestinian groups complain.”

The interfaith vigils were among the first public expressions of mourning following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, in which more than 1,100 Israelis were killed. Many Palestinians and progressive Jews in the United States had correctly predicted that Israel’s response to Hamas would be disproportionate, with the death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza now standing at more than 41,000.