Backlash over university’s plan to limit protest rights

The University of Michigan is facing a backlash from students, faculty and civil rights attorneys following a proposal to significantly restrict the right to protest on campus, writes Ava Sasani for The Guardian.

The “disruptive activity policy”, announced last week in a campus-wide email from university president Santa J Ono, would create strict punishments for anyone who interrupts official university events, including speeches, classes, athletic events, field trips, performances, graduation and award ceremonies. Students and faculty who violate the rule could face expulsion or firing.

The draft policy comes after students spent months calling on university leadership to divest from companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which help provide weapons to the Israeli military amid the ongoing bombing campaign in Gaza. Ono said that the University of Michigan’s protests had become “unacceptable” after Tahrir, a coalition of more than 80 student groups that support divestment, staged a protest at last month’s convocation for honours students. Ono had been slated to speak at the event, but his speech was cut short by student protesters.
Full report on The Guardian site