COLUMBIA — Members of Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine say University of Missouri employees erased their chalk messages from Speakers Circle, raising concerns about free speech on campus.
Speakers Circle is a spot on campus where MU students and people from Columbia may organize, demonstrate and speak out about their political ideologies to crowds without a permit.
MSJP said it chalked messages on Oct. 9 to draw awareness to the conflict in Gaza and to promote student advocacy. An hour later, members came back to a specific message, "From the river to the sea," being washed away by campus staff.
The event happened days before Israel and Hamas enacted a Gaza ceasefire agreement that included the release of hostages and prisoners.
An MU Campus Facilities official told MSJP that the statement written in Speakers Circle was being investigated for potentially violating the university's Title VI policy, MSJP President Lily Dunn said.
Title VI is part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and prohibits discrimination based on race and national origin.
Dunn said the organization has used the phrase in the past without issue.
"We even hosted events being named 'From the River to the Sea' in the past," Dunn said. "So having the university seemingly do a 180 on the conversation they had with us previously is very confusing."
The phrase "From the river to the sea" is part of a chant — "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" — that pro-Palestinian activists have used, and the phrase is highly controversial, Associated Press reporting from November 2023 indicated. The phrase references the land between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, which is where Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are located.
A member of Students Supporting Israel Mizzou said the phrase is offensive.
"I don't know what they thought when they were writing that," Leore Tal said. "I just know from my perspective and the perspective of a lot of Jewish people and people who have connections to Israel, for us it's a very hurtful chant, so I'm glad the university handled it."
University Deputy Spokesperson Travis Zimpfer said the university follows its policy when removing chalking.
"In removing chalking, the university follows its policy, which identifies types of chalking that are prohibited and also allows for removal as part of usual and ordinary maintenance," Zimpfer wrote in an emailed statement. "Recent removals include instances of standard cleaning, chalking on prohibited surfaces, and a situation involving a report related to hostile environment under Title VI, which is being further investigated."
Zimpfer said the university investigates allegations of discrimination and retaliation on a case-by-case basis.
The case is still under investigation, Zimpfer confirmed Friday.
Lawsuit ongoing between MSJP and university leadership
Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine has an active lawsuit against UM System President Mun Choi over a separate incident that involves allegations of free speech violations by university leadership.
MSJP filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in August over Choi's decision to block the student organization from participating in MU's 2024 Homecoming parade. The lawsuit argues Choi's decision violated the First Amendment.
The court ordered in September that the student organization must be allowed to participate in the 2025 parade so long as it adhered to Homecoming parade policies, which excluded political expression.
Choi asked the federal district court to dismiss the lawsuit against him, but the court issued a ruling Wednesday denying the UM System president's request.
A news release from the organization representing MSJP, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the civil rights complaint is moving forward.
