Five UW Milwaukee clubs suspended for calling Jewish groups “extremist”

Five pro-Palestinian student organizations at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee have been suspended for a July post on Instagram, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The Instagram story, a type of post that disappears after 24 hours, said that organizations that support Israel are unwelcome at the university and called Hillel Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Jewish Federation “local extremist groups.” The university publicly responded to the post shortly after, saying, “UWM strongly denounces these statements and denounces any form of antisemitism, and we will be actively monitoring campus as a result.”

Now the five organizations—Students for Justice in Palestine, the Muslim Student Association, Students for a Democratic Society, Young Democratic Socialists of America and Un-PAC, which together form a coalition called the UW-Milwaukee Popular University for Palestine—have been temporarily suspended pending an investigation.

It is unclear whether this is a student conduct or criminal investigation, according to the Journal Sentinel, which said the university declined to comment. The local district attorney’s office is also reportedly looking into the post.