Mon Sep 23 20:45:49 UTC 2024: ## UC Faculty Accuse System of Suppressing Pro-Palestinian Speech and Protests

**OAKLAND, Calif.** – The University of California system is facing accusations of labor violations from faculty who claim the university has engaged in a campaign to suppress pro-Palestinian speech and protests on campuses across the state.

The Council of University of California Faculty Associations, representing faculty at seven UC campuses including UCLA, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UC San Francisco, filed a complaint with the state Public Employment Relations Board last week. The complaint alleges that UC administrators have taken actions to intimidate and silence faculty who engage in pro-Palestinian activities, including:

* **Threatening faculty for teaching about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.**
* **Launching disciplinary proceedings against faculty who supported student encampments protesting the university’s ties to Israel.**
* **Investigating faculty for pro-Palestinian social media posts.**
* **Surveilling and intimidating faculty for exercising their free speech rights.**

The complaint also highlights the ongoing fallout from the suppression of pro-Palestinian protests on campus, which includes new protest rules, student suspensions, and holds on student records.

Council president Constance Penley described the university’s actions as a “relentless campaign to chill faculty’s exercise of their academic freedom and to deter them from teaching about the war in a way that does not align with the university’s position.”

In response, the University of California stated that while it “supports free speech and lawful protests,” it must also “ensure that all of its community members can safely continue to study, work, and exercise their rights, which is why it has in place policies that regulate the time, place, and manner for protest activities on its campuses.”

The Public Employment Relations Board will now review the complaint and decide whether to dismiss it or proceed with a settlement negotiation. If no settlement is reached, the case will go to a formal hearing before an administrative law judge.

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