Indiana University suspends pro-Palestinian student group over campus disruptions
Indiana University has suspended the Palestine Solidarity Committee, accusing the student group of disruptive and damaging behavior during the past two academic years.
The organization, known for pro-Palestinian activism and anti-Israel demands, faces restrictions while IU continues its investigation.
Indiana University in Bloomington has suspended the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), one of its largest pro-Palestinian student organizations, ahead of the fall 2025 semester.
In a letter dated Aug. 15, IU’s Office of Student Conduct accused the group of disorderly conduct that allegedly disrupted operations and caused property damage during the 2023–24 and 2024–25 academic years, The Herald-Times reported. The letter ordered the PSC to cease all activity and submit a roster of active members. University spokesperson Teresa Mackin confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing.
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PSC faculty adviser Amr Sabry dismissed the allegations as “vague” and questioned the timing of the suspension, noting that the fall semester had not yet begun.
The PSC has been one of the most visible pro-Palestinian groups on campus, according to the Indiana Daily Student. It organized a 100-day encampment on Dunn Meadow in April 2024, during which more than 50 protesters were arrested in the first three days. The group has also used social media to demand that IU cut ties with Israel and to call for the resignations of top administrators, including President Pamela Whitten.
The suspension comes as IU faces ongoing challenges balancing student activism with campus operations. In 2024, the Board of Trustees revised protest policies to ban tents, unapproved signage, and “expressive activity” outside the hours of 6 a.m.–11 p.m., following multiple disruptive demonstrations.
“We can’t let one person or group’s expression infringe on the rights of others, disrupt learning experiences for our students or interrupt regular university business,” Board Chairman W. Quinn Buckner said at the time.
IU has also been scrutinized for its handling of classroom speech. Earlier this month, the university sanctioned Germanic Studies Professor Ben Robinson under Indiana’s new intellectual diversity law, SEA 202, after a student complaint alleged he disparaged Israel and discussed his own protest-related arrests during class. “[Robinson] talked about being arrested for trying to shut down the Israeli consulate,” one complaint read.
Last year, IU faced criticism for a course, “Understanding Diversity in a Pluralistic Society,” that categorized students as belonging to “oppressor” or “subordinate” groups based on identity. “I’m being punished through an assignment for my identity as a person,” one student told The Washington Free Beacon.
Campus Reform has contacted Indiana University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
