On April 25, 2025, students, including Sereen and Selma, gathered on the same lawn where VCU deployed a militarized police response in 2024. This time, the gathering was peaceful and informal: students studied, reflected, and supported one another in community. Despite the lack of disruption or policy violation, VCU administrators escalated the situation by involving police, singling out students based on keffiyehs and banners, and mischaracterizing the presence of students as a “protest.”
Sereen and Selma fully complied with all university directives. There is clear video evidence documenting that they followed instructions, ended the gathering when asked, and did not violate any policies. Yet, instead of acknowledging the facts, VCU has chosen to punish them. The university is now withholding their degrees and accusing them of conduct violations they did not commit.
This is not due process; it is targeted retaliation. It is a clear attempt to criminalize pro-Palestinian expression and intimidate Muslim and allied students into silence. Worse, it reflects a dangerous national trend: the use of institutional power to punish political speech on college campuses.
As a public university, VCU has a legal and moral obligation to uphold the First Amendment rights of its students. The university’s actions not only violate those rights, they send a chilling message that Palestinian grief and solidarity will be met with punishment.
MPAC demands that VCU:
Immediately release the degrees of Sereen Haddad and Selma Ait-Bella
Publicly affirm that peaceful political expression will not be criminalized
Hold accountable the administrators and officers responsible for misleading, threatening, or retaliating against students
To The Public:
We have launched a national public call to action demanding VCU immediately release the degrees of Sereen Haddad and Selma Ait-Bella. We are calling on you to take action now.
