Hey, there! Log in / Register
Jewish MIT students sue school, alleging it condones and even promotes anti-Semitism
By adamg on Fri, 03/08/2024 - 9:54am
Two MIT students and a pro-Israel group from California yesterday sued MIT on charges it has allowed protests over the Israeli war in Gaza to blossom into full-blown anti-Semitic threats against Jewish students and professors.
In their suit, filed in US District Court in Boston, StandWithUs and the two students allege that by not doing much, the administration of MIT President Sally Kornbluth - herself Jewish - has created a cauldron of fear for Jewish students that many have become afraid to walk across campus or even visit the MIT chapter of Hillel, that they have been threatened both in person and in a campuswide e-mail system, and that one Jewish computer-science lecturer even quit out of fear.
The suit alleges all this violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and seeks an injunction ordering MIT to protect Jewish students and staff from harassment and threats, including banning any groups that have become practicing anti-Semites, along with damages and attorneys' fees.
Complete complaint (7.3M PDF).
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Glad to see it. I hope
Glad to see it. I hope Harvard is severely hit hard financially. Seems like a certain person could also be sued. Maybe she’s next?
?
Harvard is not mentioned in the article.
Well maybe it should be then.
Well maybe it should be then.
Username checks out
Reading comprehension and facts are optional with MAGA.
Ready, Fire,
Aim
The complaint is damning
The complaint does paint a picture where MIT administrators failed to act when antisemitic actions (not just criticism of Israeli government) happen under the aegis of MIT. If true then that sure as hell needs to be cured.
On the other hand, are there actions on the MIT campus that are against people who support Palestinians? If there are then that needs to be cured.
Add that the organization supporting the student defendants appears to be more focused on Israel as a nation, than on religious identity. That can be read in their website. That brings up the question of whether this organization is using antisemitism as an opportunity to use law to shut down criticism of Israel as a political entity.
But this is where a court can give clarity.
the Complaint is inflated bullshit lawfare
Wow, bringing up Pope Urban and the Crusades in 1099, that's super-relevant to the facts of a case about MIT today.
The facts of the Complaint which allegedly occurred at MIT in 2023-4 are a recitation of standard student protest activities except for one alleged "assault" where a protester "raised his bicycle wheel" at one of the plaintiffs.
You can't just repeat that a plaintiff "received anti-Semitic emails . . . anti-Semitic comments ... anti-Semitic rhetoric" over and over. You have to allege facts, which means what was actually said, as verbatim as can be stated.
These actions are filed for one reason only: to intimidate protesters and to attempt to enlist institutions like MIT to shut down any more protests. Remember the attack on Harvard, the similar complaint against them, the "Harvard hates Jews" aerial banner? A broad and coordinated lawfare and political / media propaganda strategy.
They hang their hat on the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, which is not a law and takes one pro-Israel view of a contested history. To take one example "From the River to the Sea" has more than one meaning, one of them is a state with equal rights for all inhabitants.
Another example is the IHRA definition stating that comparing the actions of the State of Israel to Nazis is anti-Semitic. Well, we've seen pretty indiscriminate and disproportionate killing since Oct 7, including the suspected summary execution of prisoners, efforts to ethnically cleanse the West Bank, openly genocidal rhetoric from Israeli ministers like Ben-Gvir.
You strip out the rhetoric and there are few facts alleged that are civil rights violations, maybe the discrimination in flag display. You have no civil right not to see and hear opposing points of view.
Instead, it's an attempt to bully MIT into depriving the protesters of their civil rights.
Re: Israel as a nation
Discrimination based on national origin is still illegal. You can't discriminate against Bangladeshis but say it's not a problem because it's not religious discrimination against Muslims or ethnic discrimination against Bengalis. You can't even do that if the government of Bangladesh does something you disagree with.