24 DAILY NEWS – Four adjunct professors formerly employed by the City University of New York (CUNY) allege they were terminated due to their vocal support for Palestinian rights, a claim brought to light by 24 DAILY NEWS.
New York — Four adjunct professors at the City University of New York (CUNY) say they lost their jobs because of their public advocacy for Palestinian rights. The decision came despite their departments recommending reappointment, assigning them fall semester classes — some with waitlists — and receiving strong student evaluations.
CUNY’s administration has provided no official explanation for the terminations. One professor told 24 DAILY NEWS that the only connection among the four was their outspoken support for Palestine:
“The decision made by our departments was to hire us. The decision made by the Administration was to fire us. The only thing we have in common is our activism for Palestinian rights.”
Union and Faculty Groups Condemn Firings
The Professional Staff Congress (PSC) — CUNY’s main faculty union — and the CUNY chapter of Faculty for Justice in Palestine have condemned the dismissals, saying they violate due process and academic freedom. PSC President James Davis called the actions “highly irregular” in a June 30 letter to CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, noting:
Recommended Stories
No negative job performance evaluations.
No misconduct findings.
Department chairs were not informed in advance.
Classes assigned to the professors remained on the schedule after they were removed.
More than 100 Jewish CUNY faculty and staff also signed a letter opposing the decision, saying it undermines academic autonomy and “sets a dangerous precedent.”
Terminations Amid Congressional Scrutiny
The staffing changes came days before a U.S. congressional hearing on alleged antisemitism on college campuses. CUNY’s chancellor joined leaders from UC Berkeley and Georgetown University in testifying before the House Education and Workforce Committee.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and NYC Councilmember Inna Vernikov — who in 2023 was arrested for openly carrying a gun at a pro-Palestinian protest — both criticized CUNY leadership and pushed for further investigations.
Pro-Palestinian protesters repeatedly interrupted the hearing, with one shouting: “Israel is burning children alive.”
Chilling Effect on Academic Freedom
Faculty across the U.S. fear that criticism of Israel is being conflated with antisemitism, leading to retaliation against professors. The American Association of University Professors has warned that such conflation threatens free speech rights on campuses nationwide.
David Cole, a Georgetown Law professor and First Amendment expert, called the congressional hearings “political theater” with “no effort to determine the truth.”
Personal and Professional Fallout
The terminated professors told 24 DAILY NEWS they now face financial uncertainty, harassment, and doxxing by right-wing groups.
One professor said:
“Though no reason was given for my firing, it’s impossible not to see this as retaliation — for supporting students and exercising my lawful political expression.”
Another described the loss of teaching as not just financial, but personal:
“It was not only the way I made my living but also what gave me purpose. The repression is working, but I refuse to be silent while a genocide is happening in Gaza.”
Despite losing their positions, all four say they will continue advocating for Palestinian freedom.
A Broader Pattern of Retaliation?
This is the ninth congressional event since October 7 focused on alleged antisemitism on campuses — but none have addressed Islamophobia or anti-Palestinian discrimination.
Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine chapters from CUNY, UC Berkeley, and Georgetown issued a joint statement urging university leaders to defend academic freedom and resist “the weaponizing of antisemitism” to silence Palestinian advocacy.
As one professor told 24 DAILY NEWS, “History will not treat this period kindly. What is happening now is repression — and it is designed to make us afraid. But the situation in Gaza is too extreme for us to be silent.”
