Over the past year, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has actively sought new ways to suppress the growing student movement demanding divestment from Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.

In April 2025, the columns and steps of Foellinger Auditorium were painted in protest of neo-Nazi Charlie Kirk’s visit and the University of Illinois’ complicity in the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians.

In response, on July 14, 2025, UIUC expelled Adam for alleged vandalism of Foellinger Hall. This decision comes even as UIUC’s own Sanctioning Guidance recommends a formal warning (censure) for similar conduct. Rather than applying its policies fairly, the university has chosen to make an example out of a Palestinian student, punishing them not for what they did, but for the political messaging behind the action, in a clear violation of their First Amendment rights.

This comes just months after a student referendum calling for divestment from corporations complicit in Israeli apartheid passed with 73.1 percent of the vote. Instead of honoring the will of the student body, the university has ignored it and chosen to punish those who dared to make that demand visible.

Throughout this process, the university has repeatedly violated its procedures:

• The investigation lasted over 60 business days, more than three times the standard timeline, with no explanation, in violation of the student code

• Extension requests by the student were repeatedly denied, while delays on the university’s end went unaddressed

• The university inflated the incident by falsely accusing the student of more serious charges, charges that were eventually dismissed, yet still used to sway the panel and divert attention away from the central issues of the case

• Past, unrelated protests were cited during the hearing to paint a broader narrative of criminality, despite having no bearing on the case.

Meanwhile, UIUC continues to deepen ties with pro-Israel lobbying organizations, enacting policies and punishments that silence students who speak out for Palestinian freedom and doing anything in its power to appease the growingly authoritarian Trump administration. This is not about maintaining campus safety or protecting property. This is about criminalizing dissent and protecting profit over its own students.

An appeal of the expulsion has been scheduled for July 30. If UIUC allows this decision to stand, it will set a dangerous precedent that speaking out against genocide is grounds for permanent removal from the university.