A UN independent human rights expert warned on Friday that the recent increase in student protest attacks across campuses in the United States indicates an "erosion of intellectual freedom and democratic principles within educational settings."
"I am deeply troubled by the violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, arrests, detentions, police violence, surveillance and disciplinary measures and sanctions against members of the educational community exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression," UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed said, in a statement at the end of an official visit to the US.
The UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert said she is particularly concerned by the way protesters are unfairly treated based on their political viewpoint - specifically pro-Palestinian protestors.
Core constitutional commitment
While Ms. Shaheed was in the US, she visited Washington DC, Indiana and Colorado.
Her visit occurred simultaneously with US students setting up encampments on campus grounds to stand in solidarity with Palestinians, call for a ceasefire, and in many cases demand that university divest any assets linked to Israel.
She said, "These attacks signal a concerning erosion of intellectual freedom and democratic principles within educational settings."
Ms. Shaheed is appealing to the US Government to reiterate its core commitment to freedom of speech by ensuring all students have unrestricted access to diverse ideas and perspectives.
Academic freedoms under threat
The Special Rapporteur also expressed concern about 307 policies and educational gag order bills introduced in the US since January 2021.
"These policies, manifested through book bans and restrictions on curricula, have instilled a pervasive 'chilling effect' that stifles the free exchange of ideas and silences marginalised voices," she said.
Ms. Shaheed found that underfunding in the US educational system paved the way for other systemic issues including teacher shortages and student mental health support challenges.
These educational funding disparities are worsened by over reliance on local property taxes, harming marginalized and low-income neighbourhoods.
The rapporteur said, "Communities need to find a way to distribute funds more equitably between wealthier and poorer districts to end the cycle of deprivation and segregation."
"I also urge the federal government to take decisive action to address disparities in educational funding," she added.
