Arabic version: أساتذة جامعة إيموري يقاضون الجامعة بسبب الاعتقالات خلال الاحتجاج
Three professors at Atlanta’s Emory University in the United States have filed a lawsuit over their arrests during a 2024 campus protest over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The lawsuit, filed on April 23, 2026, claims that the university violated its own free-speech policies by summoning police and state troopers to forcibly disperse the demonstration, resulting in 28 arrests. According to Al Jazeera, the plaintiffs include philosophy professor Noelle McAfee, who argues that Emory failed to safeguard its educational mission and the rights of its faculty and students.
Laura Diamond, a spokesperson for Emory, countered that the university acted appropriately to ensure community safety. She described the lawsuit as lacking merit and expressed confidence in the legal process. The case reflects ongoing tensions at universities nationwide regarding free speech and protests related to Palestine, particularly following a wave of demonstrations in 2023 and 2024.
The professors—McAfee, English and Indigenous studies professor Emilio Del Valle-Escalante, and economics professor Caroline Fohlin—remain tenured and assert that they were merely observers during the protest. They claim Emory breached its policies by not exploring alternative measures before involving law enforcement. McAfee faced charges of disorderly conduct after she said she yelled “Stop!” at an officer roughly arresting a protester, while Fohlin suffered injuries during her arrest, which included a concussion and a spine injury.
The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for legal expenses incurred while defending against charges that were ultimately dismissed, as well as punitive damages. McAfee emphasized the need for accountability from the university, stating that the current environment has made students fearful of protesting, a sentiment echoed by her colleagues. Emory’s revised open expression policy now explicitly prohibits certain forms of protest, further stifling student activism at the university.
