CUNY professors union slams university brass for calling law student Fatima Mohammed’s grad address ‘hate speech’
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CUNY brass slam student’s ‘hate speech’ address against Israel, NYPD, military
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The professors union at the City University of New York accused CUNY’s leadership of attempting to restrict freedom of expression for chastising a law school student’s fiery commencement address.
The Professional Staff Congress (PSC) defended graduate Fatima Mohammed after last month’s commencement address was labeled as “hate speech” by the CUNY Board of Trustees.
The PSC — which represents the faculty at the CUNY Law School — said the board’s “mischaracterization” could have a “chilling effect” on campus academic freedom.
During her May 12 speech, Mohammed attacked the State of Israel and Zionists for the indiscriminate killings of innocent Palestinians and called the NYPD and the military “fascist.”
The law school grad accused Israel of “indiscriminate” murder, encouraging “lynch mobs” and lauded resistance to “Zionism around the world.”
“Israel continues to indiscriminately rain bullets and bombs on worshipers, murdering the old, the young, attacking even funerals and graveyards… our silence is no longer acceptable,” she said.
Mohammed slammed CUNY for continuing “to train and cooperate with the fascist NYPD, the military.” She also urged her fellow graduates to “fight against capitalism, racism, imperialism, and Zionism around the world.”
CUNY chairman Bill Thompson and Chancellor Felix Matos belatedly issued a statement backed by all the trustees saying Mohammed’s remarks “fall into the category of hate speech.” However, CUNY law school administrators including Dean Sudha Setty were seen applauding it at the time and did not challenge or criticize it.
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“Free speech is precious, but often messy, and is vital to the foundation of higher education. Hate speech, however, should not be confused with free speech and has no place on our campuses or in our city, our state or our nation,” the CUNY board statement said.
“The remarks by a student-selected speaker at the CUNY Law School graduation, unfortunately, fall into the category of hate speech as they were a public expression of hate toward people and communities based on their religion, race or political affiliation. The Board of Trustees of the City University of New York condemns such hate speech.”
In a statement posted on its website, the PSC belatedly weighed on the weeks-long controversy. The union cited the preamble of its labor contract with CUNY in 1973 about free speech and academic freedom for faculty to defend a law school student’s commencement address.
“The CUNY Board of Trustees May 30 response to the CUNY Law School student commencement remarks betrays this vision of a university committed to the full and free exchange of ideas. The Board’s overbroad description of hate speech undermines CUNY’s character as a university where free speech and open dialogue can flourish,” the PSC statement said.
“Mischaracterizing expression protected by the First Amendment as hate speech has a chilling effect in the context of public higher education, whose bedrock must be free speech and academic freedom. Political statements by students, faculty, and staff have been weaponized before, as now, to discredit CUNY and even threaten the university’s funding.”
The union continued, “In the current climate, when both hate speech and the repression of free speech are on the rise, the CUNY Board of Trustees should retract their statement, as it is not in keeping with the principles they are appointed to represent and defend.”
The PSC did not question or criticize the content of Mohammed’s speech.
CUNY had no immediate comment.
Even before the latest commencement controversy, the state Division of Human Rights opened a probe into whether CUNY’s School of Law discriminated against Jews when its faculty council passed a resolution last year supporting the pro-Palestinian boycott, divest and sanction (BDS) movement targeting Israel.
The PSC itself was roundly criticized in 2021 for passing a one-sided resolution rebuking Israel for recent attacks on Palestinians — and warning that it may support the movement to boycott and divest from the Jewish state.
The statement conspicuously omitted any mention of Hamas launching rockets into residential areas of Israel during last month’s confrontations between the warring sides, or the heinous acts of human rights abuses in other parts of the world.
Last year, the City Council held a hearing on campus antisemitism. CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez was roundly criticized for not personally testifying, though he has since established programs to address discrimination.