NEW ORLEANS — A group of professors from Tulane University took to social media to speak out after recent protests on the school's Uptown New Orleans campus.
The video posted on the Instagram account of Andrew McDowell, an Assistant Professor in Tulane's Department of Anthropology, shows more than a dozen professors and associate professors sharing their disappointment with how the university handled the situation.
"We demand that Tulane stop criminalizing peaceful student protests ... Lift student and staff suspensions and drop all criminal charges against members of our community," the professors stated.
The professors also condemned the use of force against the protesters, some of whom were students of both Tulane and neighboring Loyola University of New Orleans, and threats levied against members of the school's staff.
"We condemn the violent and disproportionate use of TUPD, NOPD and Louisiana State Police," they stated. "We condemn the administration for placing at least four members of staff on administrative leave and threatening employees with termination for simply attending peaceful protests."
Last Wednesday, more than 100 officers from the New Orleans Police Department, Tulane and Loyola campus police, and Louisiana State Police moved in on the encampment initially set up on April 29 after a march in support of Palestine.
At least 20 arrests were made even as some protesters could be seen running or walking off of the campus to the neutral ground.
The collective statement from the professors says:
"I am a professor at Tulane University. I was present at the Pro-Palestinian protest on Tulane's campus. I observed Tulane students engaging in peaceful and nonviolent demonstrations. Tulane's administration is currently seeking to punish staff, students and faculty, who attended the encampment or have merely expressed private support for students to administrators. We demand Tulane stop criminalizing peaceful student protests. Lift student and staff suspensions and drop all criminal charges against members of our community.
"We condemn the violent and disproportionate use of TUPD, NOPD and Louisiana State Police.
"We condemn the administration for placing at least four members of staff on administrative leave and threatening employees with termination for simply attending peaceful protests.
"We defend our students' right to free speech and political self-expression and stand in solidarity with them as their professors.
"Thank you."
WWL Louisiana reached out to Tulane officials for a comment on the video and received the following response:
"We do not comment on personnel matters," said a school spokesperson. "As a reminder, protesters pushed and shoved police to set up their unlawful encampment on campus and offenses committed by those encampment participants who were arrested include battery on an officer, resisting arrest and trespassing."
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