To the Northeastern University Leadership Team, 

We hope this letter finds you well. We are writing as concerned members of the Northeastern community to express our deep unease about the university’s recent statement regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as this statement has produced a threatening and dangerous climate for Palestinian and Muslim students across our own campus.

While we understand the need for international relations and support, it is essential that Northeastern University fosters diversity, inclusivity, safety, and understanding among students from ALL backgrounds. Northeastern University’s recent actions and statements have favored one side, specifically Zionism, which has caused our students of Palestinian descent and Muslim students to feel isolated, unheard, and unsafe.

We urge you to reconsider your position and take a more balanced and compassionate approach to the situation, acknowledging the tragic loss felt on both sides. This one-sided approach has incited hatred on this campus. Students have been called terrorists, and women with the Islamic religious scarf (Hijab) on have been followed, with pictures taken of them and threatening notes left on cars. It is important that we address the decades of issues in Palestine and support initiatives that promote peace, justice, and dialogue between both sides. By doing so, Northeastern can contribute to an inclusive environment on our campus and set an example for how educational institutions can engage with human rights violations.

Furthermore, it has come to our attention that many of our students, especially those directly affected by the tragedy, feel silenced and isolated. To make matters worse, there are reports of a terror list circulating that adds the names of students who choose to speak out on the issue of Palestine. This creates an atmosphere that is far from safe and inclusive. We must ensure that all members of our community have the freedom to express their opinions and support for human rights without fear of retribution.

We believe that it is within your power and your responsibility to make a positive impact by actively addressing the concerns of our Palestinian students, Muslim students, and the entire Northeastern community. To do so, you are required to provide them with a platform for open discussion, and supporting initiatives that promote peace and reconciliation. We should remember that innocent lives have been lost on both sides of this conflict, and it is our moral duty to condemn all acts of terrorism, whether Palestinian or Israeli. It is disheartening to hear about the harsh conditions and derogatory comments some Palestinians and Muslims are being subjected to. 

We cannot overlook the struggles of the Palestinian population, especially considering that Israel's total siege of the Gaza Strip, depriving civilians of goods essential for survival, is banned under international law, as Volker Turk, the United Nations Human Rights Chief, noted. 

In addition to this, we as students on this campus and members of this community wanted to raise a specific safety concern that has been brought to our attention: 

Your Ph.D. Political Science student, Yoni Michanie, who teaches International Relations courses, is engaging in hate speech on both public social media accounts and in his classes.  Michanie is targeting Palestinian students, Muslim students, and other members of the community on campus, calling them Nazis, terrorists, and inciting dangerous conflict on campus. 

He has been comparing Northeastern students of all backgrounds to Nazis, stating: "We don’t make Nazis comfortable on campus at the expense of those they victimize. Stop making Islamists comfortable on campus." 

He has tweeted: "I understand this might not be a popular take, but no humanitarian aid should be let into Gaza until Hamas releases every hostage — women, children, men, and the elderly — to Israel. Let’s make it clear to the world that Hamas can end Palestinian suffering if it chooses to." Israel has given 24 hours to 1.1 Million people to flee Gaza before they carpet bomb the entire territory and kill all civilians INCLUDING student families. When opening social media, students whose families are currently under attack have to endure reading a faculty member on their own campus making statements like this on Twitter.

We feel very unsafe knowing Northeastern is allowing a professor to continue to spread hate speech in our increasingly polarized learning environment. 

As a result of a recent peaceful demonstration on campus to mourn the families lost in Gaza, he tweeted, "Hamas' invasion forced anti-Israeli groups on campus to do all that was left for them to do: try and normalize the slaughtering of Jews. We suspect their radicalization will bring about much more violence towards the Jews on campus."

His comments after this somber demonstration, mourning the loss of numerous families in Gaza are not only insensitive but completely unacceptable, as a representative of Northeastern. These accusations are not only baseless but harmful. We want to emphasize that this demonstration had a strong showing of solidarity from both Israeli and Palestinian students who supported the cause and empathized with collective pain. The dissemination of such rhetoric is precisely what incites animosity and further divisions within our campus community. 

It is also detrimental to the well-being and safety of all students, especially Muslim and Arab students. As a direct result of Yoni Michanie’s comments, we fear for our safety and emotional well-being, not only in this individual's classes but also on campus as a whole.

This situation warrants your immediate attention and action. We kindly request that you thoroughly investigate this matter, considering the harm that his actions have caused. His behavior is not in line with the values and principles of the university that we attend. As a university that is obligated to care about the well-being of ALL your students, we urge you to take the necessary steps to address this abuse of power. It is essential to ensure that our campus remains a place where all students, regardless of their background, can pursue their education without fear or discrimination. If this doesn't get addressed, the Muslims, Arabs, and anyone who cares about our safety on campus have no choice but to go to the Department of Education since this has become a campus safety issue. 

After being reached out to by Boston Globe journalists regarding how colleges are addressing student needs surrounding current events, we are sharing our experience at Northeastern in the last week in hopes of it being addressed appropriately. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Attached to this petition are the signatures of all the individuals who not only agree and support, but also students and professionals who are ready to take legal action to ensure we have a safe environment at the university we pay to attend. We hope Northeastern is willing to uphold its promise of safety, inclusivity, and justice that it promises to ALL students. 

To summarize, these are the action items we are demanding from Northeastern: 

Revise your position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to be a more balanced and compassionate approach considering the devastation that has occurred on all sides. Educate and inform all Northeastern faculty and students on the etiquette required to properly address such a sensitive and volatile climate. 
Ensure proper repercussions for Yoni Michanie’s actions and ALL future oppression towards any groups on campus.