Temple, protests are meant to be disruptive

Last week, four individuals were detained by the Temple University Police Department during a protest at a career fair for the College of Engineering. The demonstration was organized by Temple Students for Justice in Palestine to object to the presence of Lockheed Martin and Ghost Robotics, who manufacture weapons for the Israel Defense Forces. 

The events followed Temple administration’s decision to change demonstration guidelines in August. The new guidelines restrict the use of voice amplifiers, prohibit interference with pedestrian or vehicular traffic and prevent protests from disturbing or obstructing the university’s educational processes, The Temple News previously reported.

The Council of American-Islamic Relations of Philadelphia is pursuing legal action against Temple for changing protest policies to target Muslim and pro-Palestinian protestors culminating in SJP’s interim suspension.

Following the events at the career fair, President Richard Englert sent a statement to the Temple community stressing the importance of the First Amendment as a core principle of the university. 

The recent amendments to campus guidelines are negligent of Temple’s rich history of political demonstrations. The Editorial Board urges Temple administration to recognize the value of disturbance to daily campus life while advocating for social and political change. 

Throughout Temple’s history, disruptive yet peaceful demonstrations have been an effective measure of political expression for students. These methods have allowed individuals to express their dissent to the university administration and highlight pressing global issues.

Like many universities throughout the 20th century, Temple held demonstrations to advocate against civil injustices. In 1990, Temple Association of University Professionals began to protest unfair wages. Around 500 students stood in solidarity, signing a petition promising to withdraw from the university if the strike was not settled promptly. Following a rally at the Bell Tower, students took to Broad Street, blocking traffic for an hour and stopping only when threatened with arrest. 

Protests like the one in 1990 use disorder in a nonviolent manner to draw attention to contentious issues. Similarly, the protest that took place last week during the Engineering Career Fair was disruptive but still peaceful. Temple should understand the importance of protests like this and reinstate their previous policies instead of penalizing students for political advocacy. 

The revision to the protest guidelines ignores the divisive nature of political disagreements. Dissenters would risk their own civil liberties for the prosperity of their cause. Protests are not effective unless heads are turned.