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Denver's Auraria campus ‐ and its pro-Palestinian encampment ‐ to be subject of federal antisemitism report | |||
2025-05-10 | |||
[DenverPost] Colorado Advisory Committee to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to examine “presence and/or absence” of antisemitism Denver’s Auraria campus will be the subject of federal scrutiny after the Colorado Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted unanimously Thursday to begin a year-long examination of “the presence and/or absence” of antisemitism on the downtown campus. The local undertaking coincides with a larger federal investigation by the commission into what the Trump administration characterizes as rising antisemitism at American college campuses following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel and that nation’s retaliatory war in Gaza. Demonstrators set up a 23-day encampment at Auraria last year — the largest of Colorado’s pro-Palestinian protests — at which students and others protested the war and called for the University of Colorado to divest financially from Israel. The committee’s now-approved project proposal alleges the Auraria encampment featured participants chanting slogans “calling for the extermination of the state of Israel and for terrorist attacks on Jews globally.” The proposal attributes that statement to “news reports,” but does not cite any specifically. The proposal acknowledged such statements are not “per se illegal… just as reading ‘Mein Kampf’ out loud in public is not illegal,” but alleged the encampment interfered with campus access and classes, and included a “hostile occupation” of the student union and vandalism. A representative of the Auraria Higher Education Center told The Denver Post last month that the campus is committed to fostering a “safe, inclusive and respectful environment for all,” and that antisemitism, along with any form of hate or discrimination, has no place on campus. Auraria is home to the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and CU Denver. During Thursday’s 45-minute virtual commission meeting, a handful of Auraria students from anti-Zionist advocacy organization Jewish Voice for Peace
In a virtual meeting earlier this year, Kopel described antisemitism on college campuses as “a matter that is long overdue for serious analysis… and that has been swept under the rug and dismissed by a lot of authorities in the past.” “State advisory committees are formally charged with being the eyes and ears of the commission in D.C., so as a factual investigation, this is a place to get some facts and write about it ourselves for Colorado, but also do a useful investigation elsewhere,” Kopel said. As the project progresses, the committee will invite speakers to provide testimony to inform a forthcoming report. Related: Denver: 2025-04-20 Mexican nationals arrested while transporting 180,000 rounds of ammunition from Utah to Colorado - more data Denver: 2025-04-07 Artist who painted ''worst'' Trump portrait for Colorado State Capitol says 41-year career may be doomed after prez''s criticism Denver: 2025-03-30 Coyotes Are Smuggling Migrants out of the United States Related: Jewish Voice for Peace: 2025-05-06 Israeli lawmakers debate controversial 80% tax bill on foreign government donations to NGOs Jewish Voice for Peace: 2025-05-06 Lefty groups behind anti-Trump protests in US propped up by billionaires and dark-money network Jewish Voice for Peace: 2025-05-04 University Jew-hate/pro-Paleo/Black Bloc nexus: Round up for the week of 4/27-5/5 | |||
Posted by:Fairbanks |
#1 the Colorado Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights "...and this will go on your permanent record!" |
Posted by: Skidmark 2025-05-10 07:54 |