UT student suing university officials faces suspension over pro-Palestinian protests

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A hearing happening later this week will determine whether a University of Texas student will be suspended for his actions connected to a pro-Palestinian protest that happened on the UT campus back in April .

That student, Ammer Qaddumi, is now suing UT President Jay Hartzell and UT Vice President Sharon Wood, according to a lawsuit, saying they violated his First Amendment rights.

KXAN reached out to the university regarding the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the university provided an excerpt from Hartzell’s message in April, which can be viewed below:

Today, our University held firm, enforcing our rules while protecting the Constitutional right to free speech. Peaceful protests within our rules are acceptable. Breaking our rules and policies and disrupting others’ ability to learn are not allowed. The group that led this protest stated it was going to violate Institutional Rules. Our rules matter, and they will be enforced. Our University will not be occupied.

Excerpt from Hartzell’s message

On April 23, a student group called the Palestine Solidary Committee (PSC) posted to Instagram saying a protest was scheduled for the next day. The lawsuit said Qaddumi was one of the organizers of this protest.

However, the night before the protest was scheduled to take place, the PSC received an email from the university saying it would not be allowed to hold the event. The lawsuit said Wood also sent an email to the Dean’s Council the morning of April 24 before the protest was supposed to start.

When the protest began, there was a law enforcement presence on campus. According to the lawsuit, police asked for a “mediator” from the crowd to communicate with, which Qaddumi volunteered to be.

Qaddumi attempted to tell protesters to disperse. However, the lawsuit said law enforcement “blocked off most routes for dispersal,” and that is when crowds reconvened in another area. Qaddumi again told the protesters to disperse to avoid getting arrested by law enforcement, which they did, according to the lawsuit.

It was at that moment that Qaddumi was arrested on a criminal trespass charge, which was “quickly dropped,” the lawsuit said.

Qaddumi then said he received a letter July 3 from the university threatening to discipline him for his involvement in the protest.

The lawsuit said if Qaddumi receives the suspension, he would be suspended for three academic semesters and not be allowed on campus during that time.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.