Governor says state will not allow pro-Palestine campus protests to go ‘too far’

A pro-Palestine event set for May 3-5 at the University of Iowa has drawn warnings against unlawfulness by state leaders. Pictured is a Nov. 4, 2023 protest at University of Iowa. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

As pro-Palestine protests on college campuses sweep the country and Iowans prepare for protests of their own, state officials are warning that unlawful activities will not be allowed.

Iowa City Students for Justice in Palestine will hold a three-day event on the University of Iowa’s campus to stand in solidarity with student encampments at other universities and reiterate demands that UI support a ceasefire in Gaza and end associations with companies and academic institutions with Israeli ties, among other items.

The organization is not affiliated with the university. It is made up of students, University of Iowa faculty and staff and community members with the shared goal of supporting Palestinian liberation according to its mission statement .

People will gather on the UI’s Pentacrest from noon to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday for the event, which will feature music, food, art and educational materials. according to an Instagram post. The organization emphasized that this event is not an encampment, and its intended goal is to highlight demands for divestment to the UI.

Gov. Kim Reynolds told reporters Wednesday that while it is important to protect people’s First Amendment right to protest, hate speech and destruction like what has been seen at other universities will not be tolerated.

“As long as they abide by the laws and do it peacefully, then great,” Reynolds said. “But if it crosses that line, we will be ready.”

She brought up protests at Columbia University as an example, where student activists set up a protest encampment that sparked more encampments and protests to take place on campuses all over the U.S. The university called in police Tuesday to take students out of an administration building they were occupying, and they made more than a dozen arrests, according to the Associated Press.

Columbia University has let things go “way too far,” Reynolds said, and as a result students may not be able to participate in graduation.

“They’re putting students at risk,” she said.

Reynolds also recognized May as Jewish-American Heritage Month and joined Republican governors in standing in support of the Jewish community and the nation of Israel. She said at the press conference she’s seen a “tremendous increase” in antisemitism.

According to the Associated Press , in the conflict following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people, Israel has killed more than 34,000 people and displaced around 80% of its population. Two-thirds of those who have been killed were women and children.

Rep. Carter Nordman, R-Panora, posted on Facebook that he spoke with University of Iowa officials about the organization’s event, which he called a “potential ‘encampment,’” and was told the university’s policies relating to protests and encampments and that laws will be enforced without delay.

“In Iowa, if you break the law or violate university policy, you should be expelled, banned, and/or prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Nordman said in his post. “These unlawful pro-Hamas acts occurring around the country are unacceptable and should be met with immediate consequences.”

UI Campus Safety Chief of Staff and Public Information Officer Hayley Bruce said in an email that Campus Safety is aware of the event and “has protocols in place,” but would not share details of procedures for safety reasons.

“The primary goal of law enforcement during demonstrations is to protect free speech while ensuring the safety of both demonstrators and the community,” Bruce said in her email.

According to a statement from the UI, community members can exercise their free speech rights on outdoor areas of campus as long as they do not impede access to facilities, walkways or roads, or otherwise disrupt the university’s ability to function. Conduct must be lawful and coincide with “with reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions.”

Several groups have reserved parts of the Pentacrest for events relating to the end of the semester, according to the statement.

Multiple protests and rallies have been held on the UI campus since the conflict began, as well as one rally that took place on the Iowa State University campus Wednesday. Pro-Palestine protests conducted at Grinnell College, and the university’s response, led to eight state lawmakers rejecting an invitation to attend a dinner in November.

Robin Opsahl contributed to this report.

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