Palestinian Student Leader Responds to IU Protest Policy

Source: WISH-TV / WISH-TV

INDIANAPOLIS — A Hoosier Palestinian activist said Sunday that a new protest policy at Indiana University is too restrictive.

The policy, which began this month, bans camping unless it’s specifically for a university event and mandates protestors get approval before erecting temporary structures.

“IU has been censoring students throughout this entire experience; with everything that’s happening, as a previous student who was advocating on behalf of Palestinian human rights, I felt there was always censorship that I was facing,” he told WISH-TV.

Yaoub Saadeh is the co-founder of the Middle Eastern Student Association at IU-Indianapolis. He accuses IU of censoring students.

In April, police arrested 23 protestors and forcibly removed dozens of others from Dunn Meadow. At the time, IU cited a 1969 statute that prohibited tens on campus after 11:00 pm.

“I was being silenced in any way, shape, or form, so these new policies kind of feel the same,” he added.

Saadeh said he was saddened to see state police use force to remove the protesters instead of handling the situation peacefully.

“It was weird energy. I’ve never seen that much negative energy toward student protesters; people were protesting for something peaceful,” said Saadeh.