Students and pro-Palestinian activists rallied on the steps of the University of Maine’s Fogler Library on Friday afternoon, despite threats by President Donald Trump against “illegal protests” on college campuses.
The rally, which saw dozens of attendees, was organized by the University of Maine chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace. Protesters held Palestinian flags and carried signs bearing handwritten messages saying “SUPPORT STUDENTS NOT GENOCIDE” and “WE WILL NOT BE SILENT,” according to photos shared on the group’s social media.
“We’re setting an example that vague threats from the white house won’t make us comply, and hopefully UMS admin will follow our lead!” the group wrote in a post.
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The group also plans to offer comment before the University of Maine System’s board of trustees at its meeting Monday morning.
The university system believes in the right to free speech, and seeks to uphold the Constitution’s guarantees of free expression, “provided those activities do not violate the law, threaten public safety or disrupt our universities’ ability to operate,” Samantha Warren, spokesperson for the University of Maine System, said in a written statement.
She added that the right to protest also comes with a responsibility to listen.
“Even when they have been protesting actions taken by our system’s leaders, we’re proud that protests at our public universities have been peaceful and we have confidence that members of our campus communities will continue to demonstrate respect for one another and for the rule of law,” Warren said.
The demonstration came days after Trump warned on social media that universities allowing “illegal protests” would lose their funding, without providing details on what types of demonstrations would be considered illegal.
“Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came,” Trump posted Tuesday on social media. “American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested.”
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