Big victory for Center for Constitutional Rights against the Zionist attack on professors who speak up against Israel.

Dear CCR Supporter,

Great news! Our client Professor Steven Salaita has reached a settlement in his case against the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) for firing him from a tenured position over his personal tweets criticizing the Israeli government's assault on Gaza in 2014 tweets the UIUC called uncivil.  Salaitaâs firing became a flashpoint for debates over academic freedom, free speech, and the repression of Palestinian rights advocacy. In exchange for Professor Salaitaâs agreement to release his claims, the university has agreed to pay $875,000. 

Freedom of Information Act requests revealed that donors had threatened to withhold funding to UIUC if Salaita was not fired and that administrators, including the UIUC Chancellor, had used personal email accounts and deleted emails in order to conceal and destroy evidence relevant to the case.  In August, a federal judge rejected UIUCs attempt to dismiss the case, writing that [if the Court accepted the University's argument, the entire American academic hiring process as it now operates would cease to exist.  Within hours of the court's decision, the UIUC chancellor resigned.

Today's settlement not only vindicates Professor Salaita”it is also a victory for First Amendment protections for advocacy.  Activism in support of Palestinian freedom has been subject to increasing repression; Professor Salaitaâs firing is just one example.  CCR remains committed to standing in solidarity with Palestine—a stance we are only able to take because of your support!  Thank you for standing with us.