The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana has taken legal action against Indiana University, claiming that the university violated the First Amendment rights of individuals who were banned from the campus for taking part in pro-Palestine protests.
According to the ACLU, the three people who were arrested have been barred by the Indiana University police and are not allowed to enter the campus for one year.
The ACLU stated in the lawsuit that these bans are a violation of the plaintiffs' free speech rights, as they wish to rejoin the ongoing protests on campus.
The lawsuit ACLU is asking for the dismissal of the one-year bans to allow the plaintiffs to participate in current and future protests on the campus.
The individuals who were arrested are Jasper Wirtshafter, a resident of Bloomington, Dr. Benjamin Robinson, a tenured professor, and Madeleine Meldrum, a current graduate student.
Since pro-Palestinian protests started, there have been over 50 arrests on the university's campus. Nationwide, there have been more than 2,000 protests as community members have urged universities to divest from Israeli companies and suppliers of weapons to Israel.
The arrests at Indiana University occurred in Dunn Meadow, the designated free speech area on campus.
ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk stated, 'Since 1969, Dunn Meadow has been a public forum for First Amendment expression. Indiana University cannot ban people from engaging in this protected expression by preventing them from entering Dunn Meadow for a year or more.'
In recent comments, President Biden emphasized that peaceful protest is protected under the First Amendment in the United States, but violent protest is not protected. emphasized Protests on college campuses have mostly been peaceful, but tensions rose this week as police intervened on many campuses to disperse demonstrators. Pro-Palestine protesters have also faced an increasing number of counter protesters.
The The Hill has contacted Indiana University for a comment on the lawsuit. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana filed a lawsuit Friday against Indiana University, alleging that the school violated the First Amendment rights of people who are banned from campus after participating in pro-Palestine protests. According to the ACLU, the three individuals arrested have been banned by Indiana University police and are prohibited from…
The Hill has reached out to Indiana University for comment on the lawsuit.
