University of Georgia panel upholds suspensions for students arrested during pro-Palestine protest

ATHENS, Ga. - Six University of Georgia students arrested during an April 29 protest against the Israel-Hamas war will remain suspended through the fall semester, the university’s Office of Student Conduct announced this week.

The students will also remain on probation for the remainder of their academic careers at the university. The decision came after a 13-hour disciplinary hearing on July 30. Students can appeal the ruling to the university’s vice president of student affairs.

An attorney representing two of the suspended students, Josh Lingsch, called the hearing "nothing more than a kangaroo court" in a statement on Thursday.

The six students were among the 16 members of the group Students for Justice of Palestine who were arrested on April 29 after setting up an encampment on the Old College Front Lawn at the university's North Campus.

(Courtesy of Keegan Brooks)

During the hearing, the six remaining students said they had a right to protest and none of their actions interrupted academic activities. When they tried to comply with orders to move, students said officers used force and tried to end their protest. The students also expressed anger with Israel’s actions in the Israel-Hamas war and what they say is the university’s support for Israel.

University representatives said that the encampments put students and professors in danger, and that students were warned to disperse.

"The University will continue to enforce our policies to protect the free expression rights of all members of our community while recognizing that such activities must comply with applicable laws and policies," university spokesperson Greg Trevor said in a statement.

The hearing, which the six students requested, included a panel of two students and one faculty member.

Protesters "chose to be arrested" by ignoring the campus rules on demonstrations, administrators wrote in a public letter in May. But 180 faculty and staff signed a petition calling the sanctions "unwarranted and "antithetical to our educational mission."

Pro-Palestine protesters affected by UGA sanctions

The students say they were placed on interim suspension and barred from campus, leading them to be evicted from student housing, kicked out of leadership positions at university organizations, and forced to fail or drop classes.

The students claim that the university has "continued to try to suppress, harass, discriminate against, and unjustly sanction" the group.

Ezra Lewis, who lost her residential advisor position because of the suspension, accused the university of "selective enforcement" in a Thursday statement.

"They have acted like our punishment was content-neutral, but President Morehead has made a clear political stance with Israel and has shown preferential treatment to UGA Hillel," she said in a statement released Thursday. "The fact that they are trying to gaslight us into believing that this is a freedom of expression policy violation is ludicrous."

The Associate Press contributed to this report.