Brooklyn College: Public Officials Threaten School Funding Over Controversial Forum
Cases
Brooklyn College, City University of New York
Case Overview
FIRE Victory closed
On January 29, 2013, ten members of the New York City Council told Brooklyn College that if it did not cancel an event it was cosponsoring titled 鈥淏DS Movement Against Israel,鈥 the college might lose taxpayer funding. The February 7 BDS event was co-sponsored by the college鈥檚 political science department and the college鈥檚 chapter of FIREfor Justice in Palestine. In response, on February 6, FIREwrote an open letter to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz expressing concern for the ramifications for academic freedom posed by the threats to Brooklyn College鈥檚 funding. The event took place, and the college did not lose its taxpayer funding.