Wayne State University has been embroiled in a controversy surrounding its handling of pro-Palestinian voices on campus. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish civil rights and pro-Israel lobbying organization, quietly filed a sweeping Freedom of Information Act request with the university seeking emails from thousands of faculty, staff, and administrators that referenced Palestine, Zionism, or Students for Justice in Palestine.
The request, obtained by the Detroit Metro Times through FOIA, generated nearly 7,500 emails involving over 14,000 accounts, including management and journalists at WDET, the public radio station owned and operated in part by Wayne State. The ADL never picked up the records despite the significant effort put into searching for relevant information.
Critics argue that the request was designed to intimidate and surveil pro-Palestinian voices on campus, stifling free speech. One professor who wished to remain anonymous described the situation as "disgusting" and stated that the ADL will stop at nothing to rid campuses of pro-Palestinians.
The FOIA request, filed by ADL Chief Legal Officer Steven C. Sheinberg in February 2024, sought emails, instant messages, and other electronic communications dating back to January 2023 that referenced Students for Justice in Palestine or specific phrases related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Wayne State's response indicated that the search would include the office of the president, the provost, government and community affairs, marketing and communications, and Development and Alumni Affairs. The university charged the ADL $6,052 for the search and required a 50% deposit. However, the records were never disclosed due to the ADL's failure to pay.
The incident has sparked new concerns about the ADL's chilling effect on speech. Critics argue that this tactic is part of the organization's broader efforts to label pro-Palestinian activism as antisemitic and silence criticism of Israel.
Wayne State has faced scrutiny for its handling of pro-Palestinian activism, including the brutal dismantling of a peaceful pro-Palestinian encampment on campus in May 2024. The university has repeatedly refused to meet with supporters of Gaza and broken up subsequent peaceful protests.
A federal lawsuit filed by a group of pro-Palestinian students, graduates, and a parent in June accused the university of violating protesters' constitutional rights. The revelation that the ADL sought thousands of internal emails about Palestine-related topics and included WDET journalists is prompting further concern about its intentions.
"This wasn't about protecting Jewish students," another professor who was included in the FOIA request said. "It was about silencing criticism of Israel."
The request, obtained by the Detroit Metro Times through FOIA, generated nearly 7,500 emails involving over 14,000 accounts, including management and journalists at WDET, the public radio station owned and operated in part by Wayne State. The ADL never picked up the records despite the significant effort put into searching for relevant information.
Critics argue that the request was designed to intimidate and surveil pro-Palestinian voices on campus, stifling free speech. One professor who wished to remain anonymous described the situation as "disgusting" and stated that the ADL will stop at nothing to rid campuses of pro-Palestinians.
The FOIA request, filed by ADL Chief Legal Officer Steven C. Sheinberg in February 2024, sought emails, instant messages, and other electronic communications dating back to January 2023 that referenced Students for Justice in Palestine or specific phrases related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Wayne State's response indicated that the search would include the office of the president, the provost, government and community affairs, marketing and communications, and Development and Alumni Affairs. The university charged the ADL $6,052 for the search and required a 50% deposit. However, the records were never disclosed due to the ADL's failure to pay.
The incident has sparked new concerns about the ADL's chilling effect on speech. Critics argue that this tactic is part of the organization's broader efforts to label pro-Palestinian activism as antisemitic and silence criticism of Israel.
Wayne State has faced scrutiny for its handling of pro-Palestinian activism, including the brutal dismantling of a peaceful pro-Palestinian encampment on campus in May 2024. The university has repeatedly refused to meet with supporters of Gaza and broken up subsequent peaceful protests.
A federal lawsuit filed by a group of pro-Palestinian students, graduates, and a parent in June accused the university of violating protesters' constitutional rights. The revelation that the ADL sought thousands of internal emails about Palestine-related topics and included WDET journalists is prompting further concern about its intentions.
"This wasn't about protecting Jewish students," another professor who was included in the FOIA request said. "It was about silencing criticism of Israel."
! The ADL's Freedom of Information Act request just to silence pro-Palestinian voices on campus is totally unacceptable 
. They're basically fishing for emails that can be used against these students and profs, kinda like a digital smear campaign 
. And the fact that they never paid for the records they got (that's $6,052 anyone? 
) just shows how sneaky they are 
.
No need for all this surveillance and intimidation tactics. It's like they're trying to create a climate of fear around these kinds of discussions, which is totally not cool 
.
. If you can't even trust your own university to protect free speech, how are you supposed to take these issues seriously? 
gotta stay vigilant about free speech, you feel? 
. The ADL's request for thousands of emails from Wayne State University staff and faculty is seriously concerning, especially since they never actually used the records to support their claims... like at all 
.
.
.
.
They're like, trying to intimidate and surveil pro-Palestinian voices on campus? That's not okay at all! It feels like they're using FOIA as a tool to stifle free speech and silence dissenting opinions. And the fact that they didn't even follow through with paying for the search makes it even more shady 
they're basically trying to stifle free speech on campus by searching for emails that mention palestine or students for justice in Palestine. it's like they want to control what people can and can't say about israel 
the fact that wDET journalists were included in the search is especially concerning, given their role as a public radio station 
? the adl is literally trying to intimidate pro-palestinian voices on campus and critics are like "okay thats it we're done with you" 
The fact that they charged the university $6,052 just to search for emails and didn't pay up is low-key shady 
Newsflash: criticizing Israel doesn't make you anti-Semitic 
my heart goes out to those professors who feel like their voices are being silenced. it's so unfair that just because you have an opinion or support a cause, people think they can intimidate and surveil you. the ADL's actions are really disturbing and I don't understand why they're doing this. isn't freedom of speech supposed to be about expressing yourself without fear of judgment? 
. Can't we just talk about these issues without being surveilled by an org with a clear agenda? 
the fact that adl never picked up the records despite all that effort into searching for relevant info just adds to my suspicions... what's really going on here? 