Northwestern students blocked from enrollment after refusing controversial antisemitism training

"At least 300 students have been prohibited from registering for classes at Northwestern University because they refused to watch a controversial antisemitism training video that they said was biased in favor of Israel, contained factual inaccuracies and could inflame campus tension over Gaza. The university's decision puts jobs, visas, stipends and health insurance at risk, students said during a press conference in Chicago on Friday morning, but those who spoke said they were still unwilling to do the training."

"The training is not just about silencing speech, but achieving consent so that we are complicit, said Salma Moustafa, a PhD student in sociology. Northwestern wants its student and faculty body to pretend it is not happening and instead consume propaganda that justifies the Israeli Zionist occupation project. Students were required to complete the training by mid-September to be able to register."

"A university spokesperson said in a statement that the training was similar to those that are required for discrimination or harassment. As with other mandatory student trainings, failure to complete this training can result in university action, including a registration hold, the spokesperson said. Students are not required to agree with the training modules but must attest that they will abide by the student code of conduct, as well as the university's policy on discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct, they added."

At least 300 Northwestern students were blocked from registering for refusing to complete a mandatory antisemitism training that critics say is biased toward Israel, contains inaccuracies and risks inflaming tensions over Gaza. Students said the registration holds threaten jobs, visas, stipends and health insurance. The training included a video on antisemitism and another on anti-Arab bias, and students objected that it equates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Northwestern required completion by mid-September and said the training is similar to other discrimination or harassment trainings. Failure to complete the training can result in university action, including a registration hold.

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