Emory Professors Sue Over Protest Arrests

Three tenured professors at Emory University in Atlanta filed a civil lawsuit against the school on Thursday, alleging that their arrests during a 2024 campus protest violated the institution's free speech policies and failed to safeguard its educational mission.

The suit, lodged in DeKalb County State Court, stems from events on April 25, 2024, when students and others erected tents on the university's main quadrangle to demonstrate against Israel's war in Gaza. The professors—Noelle McAfee of philosophy, Emilio Del Valle Escalante of English and Indigenous studies, and Caroline Fohlin of economics—described themselves as observers during the gathering. They contend that Emory administrators prematurely summoned Atlanta police and Georgia state troopers, leading to the aggressive dispersal of the crowd and 28 arrests, without exploring less confrontational options as required by university guidelines.

McAfee was charged with disorderly conduct after shouting "Stop!" at an officer she said was roughly handling a protester. Del Valle Escalante faced the same charge while attempting to assist an older woman amid the chaos. Fohlin, who intervened when officers pinned a demonstrator...