(ATLANTA, GA, 9/23/2024) – The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-GA) and students arrested and suspended by University of Georgia (UGA) for participating in anti-genocide protests on the UGA campus (also known as the UGA 6) today held a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol, asking UGA to drop disciplinary charges against anti-genocide students arrested on UGA’s campus. Speakers included the arrested students, UGA alumni, and the students’ attorneys.
SEE: UGA student panel upholds sanctions imposed on 6 suspended students (onlineathens.com)
CAIR-Georgia Executive Director, Azka Mahmood stated, “We stand with these students and call upon UGA to drop charges against them and to reverse the extreme and unreasonable punishments they are being subjected to.”
First Amendment and Civil Rights Attorney Samantha Hamilton remarked, “UGA violated the Georgia FORUM Act the minute the administrators told protesters to move their demonstration and UGA violated the first amendment when it had students arrested and suspended them. We call upon UGA to publicly apologize to the student protesters and reinstate them.”
Former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Mariah Parker stated, “The University has an opportunity to begin reconciliation and repair for its many harms done to communities of color, right here and right now by dropping the charges that have been bought against these students, by protecting first amendment rights of all students at the University of Georgia as the bare minimum.”
Attorney, and UGA Alumni Josh Lingsch said, “The UGA student conduct process has to be changed in order to afford students the due process rights that they are owed to by law. UGA claims to stand for the principles of wisdom, justice and moderation, the pillars of the arch. Their student conduct procedure and actions in this manner show this is nothing but lip service.”
Arrested student Zeena Mohammed stated, “I am a student who has been arrested, suspended, barred from campus and marginalized by the University…every time I sought support from the university, UGA not only failed to respond but actively used its institutional powers to target and profile myself and other Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students.”
BACKGROUNDER
Earlier this month, CAIR-Georgia, Attorneys Sarah Gerwig and Samantha Hamilton, individual University of Georgia (UGA) students, and the organization Georgia Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) (formerly UGA Students for Justice in Palestine) announced the filing of a Title VI federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), demanding an immediate investigation into UGA’s extreme differential treatment of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students, students perceived to be Palestinian, and students associated with or advocating for Palestinians.
CAIR-Georgia’s mission is to protect civil rights, promote justice, empower American Muslims, and enhance the understanding of Islam.
END
CONTACT: Azka Mahmood, CAIR-Georgia Executive Director, [email protected], Nazia Khanzada, Communications Manager CAIR-Georgia, [email protected]