A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the University of Maryland must permit an interfaith vigil on Oct. 7, commemorating the anniversary of Hamas' attack on Israel, despite the school's decision to cancel the event.
"UMCP's decision to revoke appears to be nothing less than an effort to suppress speech, which would be offensive to some, indeed many. This is true even if defendants ... in fact really did anticipate on-campus turbulence," U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte wrote in his decision.
The vigil, organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, was first approved by the university in July, but was canceled last month due to concerns of potential violence.
The student group filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming the cancellation of the vigil violated their free speech rights.
In a Tuesday statement following the ruling, the university stated, "Event organizers, campus officials, and UMPD (campus police) will implement a plan that allows all events to proceed in accordance with the court's ruling. Notwithstanding today's court ruling, the safety concerns that were raised remain a source of ongoing attention and focus for us."
In his ruling, Messitte concluded that the pro-Palestine students, who were co-hosting the event with Jewish Voice for Peace, had a First Amendment right to do it on that day, and that the school might have offered greater security without banning it. Messitte also required that the student group post a $2,500 security bond with the school before the event.
"Even if pro-Israel groups see October 7 as somehow sacrosanct, it is at least a fair argument for pro-Palestine groups to see the date as sacrosanct as well, symbolic of what they believe is Palestine's longstanding fight for the liberation of Gaza," the judge wrote.
Gadeir Abbas, deputy litigation director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the National Review on Tuesday, "We're thrilled with the court's decision."
Over the past year, activists and students have called for a cease-fire in Gaza, which has been heavily bombed by Israel in response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas that killed approximately 1,200 people.
Originally published on University Herald.
