CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Pro-Palestine Academics Have Been Fighting the New McCarthyism

The Trump administration has been going on an offensive to suppress social movements. From unprecedented criminal sentences against immigrant rights activists to a recent State Department report trying to link prominent left-wing figures and organizations to the Cuban government, the administration’s actions harken back to an era of “McCarthyism” in which the government ostracized left-wing activists, intellectuals, and artists.

Before the recent headlines, however, pro-Palestine academics were already on the receiving end of a Republican-led campaign against free speech. In recent years hundreds of academics have been fired, censored, threatened, or otherwise punished for their research and advocacy. The movement for Palestine has been one of the Trump administration’s main targets. It has also provided important examples of how those facing repression are fighting back.

One such case is that of the Fired Four, referring to four adjunct faculty who were fired from the City University of New York (CUNY) in June 2025 because of their Palestine activism. Shortly after the four learned of their firings, PSC CUNY, the union representing faculty at the university, released a statement condemning what they called “retaliatory firing,” labeling it as part of the “New McCarthyism.”

Corinna Mullin, one of the Fired Four and an organizer with the group CUNY for Palestine, said that she has been deeply inspired by the campaign.

“It’s been a truly amazing campaign. We have been so heartened, really impressed and touched, moved by the support of our colleagues and the student body. The union has been incredible.”

How unions are fighting back

Members of the union took the campaign into their own hands with a range of creative initiatives to spread the word about the firings. Faculty tabled at nine different campuses across the university, often working alongside students to educate CUNY community members about the campaign. Others printed t-shirts saying “Reinstate the Fired Four” which they sold to raise funds for the campaign and raise awareness. These shirts can still be regularly spotted being worn throughout CUNY campuses.

There is also an Instagram page which the campaign has used to share updates, provide coverage of protests the union has held in support for the Fired Four, and publish expressions of solidarity from left-wing academics and political figures including Marc Lamont Hill, Robin D.G. Kelly, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Chevalier. The account was also used to post “pets for the Fired Four,” a series of........

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