In the early morning hours of November 7, more than 12 police officers showed up outside at an address in Springfield, Virginia, knocked, broke down the door, and raided the family home of two Palestinian American students at George Mason University.
University and Fairfax County police refused to show the family the warrant. One Fairfax County detective with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force — cross-designated as a local and federal agent — was also present. The family and Mason faculty supporting them, however, believe they know what the FBI-led investigation was about: the young family members’ pro-Palestine activism.
Two of the Palestinian American family’s daughters attend George Mason. One is an undergraduate student and the co-president of Mason’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. The other is in a master’s program at Mason and a former president of the school’s SJP chapter.
“These students haven’t been accused of a criminal, civil, or student conduct violation, yet they have been banned from campus.”The authorities told the family the raid was related to a spray-paint vandalism incident at George Mason’s campus in August — part of the widespread campus protests related to Israel’s war on Gaza. In September, the university police department put out flyers offering a $2,000 reward for information about the incident.
In short order, the school’s SJP chapter was suspended. Soon after, George Mason Police Chief Carl Rowan Jr. served the sisters with criminal trespass notices barring them from campus for four years — meaning that they can no longer continue their education.
“I’m worried for our students and I’m concerned for our schools,” said Ben Manski, the SJP chapter’s faculty adviser. “There are still no allegations and no charges that I’m aware of. Without those, we can’t have due process, we don’t know what is behind these actions,........