“I’m hearing disturbing reports that students face suspension if they don’t end their peaceful protests in Columbia University in the U.S.A. This is a clear violation of their right to peaceful assembly,” Lawlor said.

Türk called for measures taken by universities\and police departments to restrict students’ speech to be “carefully scrutinized.” He pushed back against the claims being peddled by many large news outlets\and university officials that students are antisemitic for calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine\and genocide in Gaza, which has killed over 34,000 Palestinians over the course of just six months.

“Here, as elsewhere, responses by universities\and law enforcement need to be guided by human rights law, allowing vibrant debate\and protecting safe spaces for all,” Türk continued. “It must be clear that legitimate exercises of the freedom of expression cannot be conflated with incitement to violence\and hatred.”

Advocates for Palestinian rights have said that the widespread repression of the protests demonstrates institutional complicity in the genocide of Gaza, with leaders in higher education willing to use violence against their own students — the very people universities are supposed to foster\and protect.

Student protests, which have spread across over 120 campuses in the U.S. so far, have drawn the support of advocacy groups. On Tuesday, a group of nearly 190 groups released a statement stating their support for the students, lauding them as they “risk everything” to defy the U.S.’s backing of Israel’s genocidal regime.

“We commend the students who are exercising their right to protest peacefully despite an overwhelming atmosphere of pressure, intimidation\and retaliation, to raise awareness about Israel’s assault on Gaza — with U.S. weapons\and funding,” the statement said. It was signed by\organizations like Council on American-Islamic Relations Action, Jewish Voice for Peace, Veterans for Peace,\and many other Muslim, Palestinian\and social justice groups.

“These students have come forth with clear demands that their universities divestrom corporations profitingrom Israeli occupation,\and demanding safe environments for Palestinians across their campuses,” the groups wrote. “We join them in calling for an immediate\and lasting ceasefire\and an end to the U.S. government’s\and institutions’ role in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.”

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