A pro-Palestinian student group at the University of Missouri in Columbia can participate in the school’s Homecoming parade next weekend, after a federal judge ruled the university cannot exclude the group because of its viewpoints.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough granted a preliminary injunction Friday that bars the university from excluding the Mizzou Students Justice for Palestine group from the annual parade.
Bough also found that University of Missouri System President Mun Choi violated the group’s First Amendment rights, ruling there is a “fair chance” Choi excluded MSJP “for its viewpoint on Palestine and Israel.”
This will be the student group’s first appearance in the event, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27. Choi also barred the group from last year’s parade.
“Not only does the Court’s decision help vindicate our rights after we were unjustly targeted and denied last year, but it’s a big win for the Palestinian movement across the country,” MSJP said in a statement after the ruling. “No matter how hard they try to silence our voices, we will never stop advocating for the Palestinian people, and their right to exist with peace and dignity.”
Ahmad Kaki, one of the attorneys representing the student group, said in a statement that Choi tried to exclude the student group because of their views on Israel’s war in Gaza.
“Not only will history remember Choi’s disgraceful attempt to silence these students, but the Court’s decision now memorializes the illegality of his actions,” he wrote. “This ruling is a major victory for the civil rights of all Americans.”
Choi, who testified in court earlier this week, told the judge he denied MSJP’s parade application because of safety concerns, citing “concerning actions” from similar university groups across the country that resulted in disciplinary action, violence and property damage.
Choi also cited two incidents involving Isleen Atallah, a former MSJP president and current student, that influenced his decision. In one incident, last October, a student complained about an interaction with Atallah, but no formal complaint was filed, according to Atallah’s testimony.
In a separate incident in March of this year, Atallah testified that another student was verbally harassing her about Palestine. Atallah testified that she videotaped herself following the student for a few minutes, demanding that he repeat his statements. It resulted in disciplinary action that includes probation for Atallah until she graduates.
But Friday’s court ruling states Choi “failed to identify any specific instance in which MSJP — as a group — or any of its members other than Atallah engaged in conduct that posed a safety risk to the campus community.”
Atallah, who is no longer president of the student group, also testified that she will not attend this year’s Homecoming parade because of another engagement.
A spokesperson for the university declined to comment on the ruling Friday.
MSJP’s presence on campus includes more than 80 events over the past two years, none of which were found to violate university policy, according to the ruling.
Bough’s decision, which opens with a quote from Benjamin Franklin about freedom of speech, is part of a larger federal lawsuit that the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim civil rights group, brought in August against Choi on behalf of Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine. It alleges Choi violated students’ First Amendment rights when he excluded the group from Homecoming parades last year and this year.
The court found that Choi’s decision to exclude MSJP this year is “not narrowly tailored to the stated interest of safety,” and is not in line with the First Amendment. Bough has yet to rule on whether last year’s decision violated the First Amendment.
New rules for 2025
The University of Missouri established new rules this year for organizations that participate in the Homecoming parade, which state it “is not an open forum for expression on topics identified by participants, but rather is limited to expression on topics identified by the University.”
The new rules require student groups to adhere to an established theme, which, this year, is “Celebrating Black and Gold.”
Bough’s decision Friday states the university is within its rights to restrict the parade to a "particular type of speaker” or “particular subject matter,” but it “cannot then exclude speakers based on their ideology … or based on their viewpoint.”
MSJP is one of 10 student groups that were turned away from this year’s Homecoming parade, according to KBIA.
The court cautioned on Friday that, while the university cannot stop MSJP from participating in the parade, the group still has to adhere to the new policies and guidelines.
What happened in 2024
MSJP was the only student group denied from participating in last year’s Homecoming parade. Its attorney argued they were excluded because of their viewpoints, and that Choi’s claims of safety concerns do not hold up.
Bough’s decision Friday said Mizzou’s Homecoming parade has a history of welcoming groups with diverse viewpoints. Last year, that included groups with “Make America Great Again” signs, and organizations advocating for and against state ballot measures.
MSJP’s plans for last year’s parade included performing a traditional Palestinian dance called the dabke, handing out Palestinian treats, and holding two banners that read “Ceasefire Now” and “Stop the genocide.” The group’s plans for this year’s parade are similar, according to its application to the university.
The lawsuit states MSJP’s application in 2024 was subject to a “unique review process,” and that it was treated differently from other student groups because of its views. Choi himself made the decision to exclude MSJP from the Homecoming parade.
“It was the only parade applicant subjected to this level of scrutiny over its application and the only applicant whose application would be personally vetted by Chancellor Choi,” the lawsuit states. “At every turn of the Homecoming Parade, Chancellor Choi sought to suppress pro-Palestine speech.”
Council on American-Islamic Relations attorney Ahmad Kaki said earlier this week that the case could have major implications for pro-Palestinian advocacy across the country.
Nihad Awad, CAIR executive director, said Friday’s ruling is “an important victory for the First Amendment and the right of students who support Palestinian human rights to fully participate in campus life.”
“It is long past time for colleges and universities across the country to stop attempting to silence and sideline students critical of the Israeli government's genocide in Gaza,” Awad said.
Editor's note: KCUR 89.3 is licensed to the University of Missouri Board of Curators and is an editorially independent community service of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
