MIT admitted it failed to follow through on threats to suspend students who took part in an unauthorized anti-Israel protest because the school feared the agitators would be deported.
Institute President Sally Kornbluth acknowledged the elite university’s position in a statement in response to a protest that posed a threat to Jewish and Israeli students.
The demonstration took place on Thursday in “Lobby 7”, the entrance to MIT. University regulations expressly prohibit demonstrations in busy locations on campus.
A group called the Committee Against Apartheid organized the protest, which began at 8 a.m.
When they learned what was going on, a group of Jewish and Israeli students showed up to organize a counter-protest.
The statement from Kornbluth, who has been president of the university since January, said after the confrontation between protesters broke out: “We had serious concerns that violence could occur.”
At no point during the protest were students unable to attend class. Here’s MIT police directing passing students to the cleared sides of Lobby 7, and another view.
The only time movement was explicitly restricted by Lobby 7 was when MIT closed it to EVERYONE… pic.twitter.com/KOns0u8WH1
— Francesca Riccio-Ackerman (@still_francesca) November 12, 2023
MIT students staged an unsanctioned anti-Israel protest in the university’s main entrance hall on Thursday
“After exhausting all other options to de-escalate the situation, we informed all protesters that they must leave the lobby area within a certain time or they would be suspended,” she continued.
“Many chose to leave, and I appreciate their cooperation.” Some did not. Members of my team were in dialogue with students throughout the day.
“As we subsequently heard serious concerns about adverse effects on students, such as visa issues, we have decided, as an interim measure, that students remaining beyond the deadline will be suspended from non-academic activities on campus.” Students remain enrolled at MIT and can participate in academic courses and labs.”
The semi-suspension, Kornbluth said, will be forwarded to an ad hoc complaint response team for a final assessment of the situation.
As with many renowned American universities, a significant portion of MIT’s student body is made up of international students.
In the weeks since the outbreak of war, sparked by the barbaric attack by Palestinian terrorists on innocent Israeli citizens, there has been widespread speculation that many of the students at the forefront of anti-Israel protests on American college campuses are not U.S. citizens are.
According to Haaretz, Kornbluth’s statement is the first time a U.S. university has acknowledged that many of the main organizers of the protests are not Americans.
Last week, anti-Israel groups organized demonstrations on campuses across the country under the slogan “Shut it down for Palestine.”
In response to the protest and ongoing protests of a similar nature on the MIT campus, a group called “The MIT Israel Alliance and its Supporters” issued a statement alleging that the Committee Against Apartheid had repeatedly accused MIT students and staff harassed because of their Jewish affiliation.
“All of this happened without a clear response from the administration.”
“With each passing day, the MIT administration’s silence makes Jewish and Israeli students feel unsafe at MIT,” it said.
A statement from MIT President Sally Kornbluth – who has been in her current post for less than a year – said the students were protesting in blatant violation of university policy and after the administration told them to leave under threat of suspension quit, wouldn’t actually be fired because it could lead to their deportation
Jewish students were banned from entering MIT through the main lobby on Thursday out of concern for their physical safety
In the weeks since the outbreak of war, sparked by the barbaric attack by Palestinian terrorists on innocent Israeli citizens, there has been widespread speculation that many of the students at the forefront of anti-Israel protests on American college campuses are not U.S. citizens are
The group said Jewish students were banned from entering MIT through the main lobby on Thursday out of concern for their physical safety.
The statement added that the Jewish and Israeli counter-demonstrators left the protest site as soon as the government issued its warning of suspensions.
Separately, a widely circulated video recorded last week shows a student interrupting a math class at MIT to condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The student then waves a Palestinian flag and encourages students to join him as he chants “Free, Free Palestine.”
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, 57, shared the video and criticized MIT for “failures of leadership.”
The student stood up to interrupt the math instructor – who politely asked if the interruption could wait until he had finished explaining a math problem and said, “Can I just finish this line?”
When the teacher finished – the student protester said: “As the MIT silence witnesses an ongoing genocide in Gaza – I join hundreds of students across the city walking out of class.”
“We stand for the liberation of Palestine against the active genocide carried out by MIT, Israel and the United States.”
The student then grabbed a Palestinian flag and joined his fellow demonstrators in chanting “Free, Free Palestine.”
At Columbia University — the site of some of the harshest anti-Semitic protests since Oct. 7 — the school announced Friday that it is suspending Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace — two extreme anti-Israel organizations.
The groups will be suspended for at least the remainder of the fall semester after violating several school rules and regulations with their unauthorized protests.