Duke University has suspended its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and frozen the group’s funding following complaints about an Instagram post that featured antisemitic imagery, according to The Chronicle, a student publication.
The March 13 post promoted a March 19 SJP general body meeting billed as a discussion on “Iran, Zionism and U.S. imperialism.” It included a graphic originally published in the Black Panther Party’s newspaper in 1970, depicting two pigs—one labeled “U.S. imperialism,” holding the Statue of Liberty’s torch, and another labeled “Zionism,” holding a Star of David.
At least 10 students filed complaints with Duke’s Office of Institutional Equity, according to The Chronicle. In response, Duke Student Affairs suspended the group’s activities and froze its funding, citing both the complaints and prior concerns about the organization’s conduct.
“The suspension of SJP is a vital step that recognizes a long-standing pattern rather than a single isolated incident,” Noah Hamid, a member of Duke’s class of 2028, told JNS.
“Moving beyond supportive measures to taking direct action is an important step that recognizes the cumulative divisive impact of an organization that frequently uses the veil of ‘anti-Zionism’ to marginalize the Jewish community on campus,” he said.
SJP leadership told The Chronicle that the image “was never intended to be antisemitic,” adding that opposition to Zionism “is not the same as targeting Jewish people.”
