Three professors at Atlanta's Emory University have filed a lawsuit over their arrests during a 2024 campus protest against Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, argues that the university broke its own free-speech policies by calling in police and state troopers to aggressively disband the protest, resulting in 28 arrests.
Philosophy professor Noelle McAfee, one of the plaintiffs, stated: "The judicial system would find that Emory failed to protect its students, staff, and the educational mission of the university. This isn't just about individual rights; it's our mission to train people in free and critical inquiry."
Laura Diamond, an Emory spokesperson, responded that the university believes "this lawsuit is without merit" and that it "acts appropriately and responsibly to keep our community safe."
The suit is one example of how the nationwide wave of protests from 2023-2024 continues to reverberate on elite campuses. However, the Emory case is unusual: all three plaintiffs remain tenured faculty, and none were convicted of any charges.
The civil lawsuit in DeKalb County State Court demands that the private university reimburse the professors for legal expenses defending against misdemeanor charges that were later dismissed, plus punitive damages.
The professors say they were observers on April 25, 2024, when students set up tents to protest the war. They claim Emory violated its own policies by calling police without seeking alternatives.
McAfee was charged with disorderly conduct after yelling "Stop!" at an officer roughly arresting a protester. Del Valle-Escalante was arrested while trying to help an elderly woman. Fohlin was thrown face-first to the ground and suffered a concussion and spine injury when she protested officers pinning a protester.
Emory claimed those arrested were outsiders, but 20 of the 28 were affiliated with the university. After their arrests, the professors faced threats and harassment from conservatives.
Nationwide, advocates say there is a "Palestine exception" where universities curb pro-Palestine speech. Palestine Legal reported a 300% increase in legal requests in 2025 compared to pre-2023 averages.
McAfee served as president of the Emory University Senate after her arrest. She said former President Gregory Fenves told her he wanted "to see justice" when she asked why charges weren't dropped.
The open expression policy was revised after 2024 to prohibit tents, camping, and demonstrations between midnight and 7am. McAfee said students are afraid to protest: "Students know that any trouble is not going to be good trouble at Emory, that they could get arrested. So students are afraid."
Source: www.aljazeera.com