Anti-Israel protests spark surge in campus censorship, says free speech group

Campus protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza have fueled record censorship attempts at the nation’s elite private universities as the fall semester begins, according to a report by a free speech advocacy group.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which tracks censorship efforts on both sides of the ideological divide, published a free speech ranking of 251 colleges and universities Thursday.

The report counted a record-high 156 censorship attempts at U.S. colleges in 2023, including 54 related to Israel and the Palestinians. So far this year, the Philadelphia advocacy group has recorded 110 attempts, including 75 related to that issue.