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SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California released a new video along with detailed Know Your Rights guides to educate people about their rights at protests and demonstrations, whether they’re on a college campus or a public street.
The timely Know Your Rights: Free Speech, Protests & Demonstrations comes just as a new academic year gets under way at colleges and universities and as different groups are poised to continue protesting the conflict in the Middle East. It’s also a presidential election year, in which protests are expected.
A number of people were arrested on U.S. college campuses in the spring. Students at colleges and universities were expelled, banned from participating in graduation, and faced other harsh discipline as a result of their participation in demonstrations.
This week, the ACLU and other civil rights groups sued UC Santa Cruz, alleging that university administrators violated the rights of students and faculty by banning them from campus this spring after they participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
In addition to our general guide to Free Speech, our new Know Your Rights: Free Speech at Colleges and Universities is devoted entirely to free speech and protest rights at college and university campuses. It links to a detailed primer— Know The Facts: Campus Protests & More — Student Discipline at California Colleges and Universities — to help students navigate their schools’ disciplinary policies.
“Both the California Constitution and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution have strong protections for free speech at protests, but those rights aren’t unlimited,” said Angelica Salceda, director of the ACLU of Northern California's Democracy and Civic Engagement Program. “Students should review their school policies to make sure they know what their rights are.”
Click here to download the Fact Sheet for Free Speech at Colleges and Universities
Click here to download the Fact Sheet for Campus Protests & More — Student Discipline at California Colleges and Universities
Explore other ACLU Know Your Rights Resources here:
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