Student activists today called on the University of Maine System board of trustees to reverse its decision to remain invested in Israeli companies and any U.S.-based companies doing business with or in Israel.
Willow Cunningham, a graduate computer engineering student, believes the board conflated anti-Zionism with antisemitism when it made that decision in December.
“If you truly wish to uphold free speech on this campus, knowing the difference is absolutely vital,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham also urged the board to adopt the Jerusalem Declaration on Anti-Semitism.
Talia Cullum, president of the UMaine chapter of Jewish Voices for Peace, disagrees with the board’s decision on divestment, but said the school’s commitment to free speech and assembly is appreciated given what’s happening at Columbia University in New York.
“At Columbia, an international student was arrested by ICE. So this freedom is becoming increasingly important as time goes on,” Cullum said.
Cullum organized Friday’s Pro-Palestinian protest on the Orono campus just days after President Donald Trump threatened the federal funding of schools that allow quote “illegal” protests.
Board Chair Trish Riley said the board is reviewing a proposal to change the university’s free speech policy to better respect the rights of students and staff.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.