A professor at the University of Miami has publicly apologized for violating a policy that prohibits political advocacy in the classroom after wearing a sash embroidered with the Palestinian flag and the word “Palestine” to class.
On Thursday, the University of Miami Instagram, @univmiami, posted a statement that included an apology from Rachida Primov, a senior lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“I am not an antisemite, and the purpose of me wearing this sash was to show compassion and support for all civilian victims of this terrible war — both Palestinian and Israeli,” Primov explained.
A photo of Primov wearing the sash in class found its way to social media and was featured in a post on the X account “StopAntisemites” on Aug. 21. It quickly gained more than 247,000 views by 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
The post read, “Nothing says ‘Bienvenue!’ like walking into your first day of French class at @univmiami and seeing Professor Rachida Primov wrapped in a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf. How are Jewish students supposed to feel welcome?”
Dozens of users flooded the comments calling for Primov’s termination and a response from the University.
“My daughter is a student @univmiami. I was bragging last year that she was safe from the crazy anti Israel and antisemitic riots on college campuses. The former President had a zero tolerance policy from day 1 and had not one incident. Unfortunately, he took a position at another university. I sent an email to the acting President to bring this to his attention. Hopefully he will follow his predecessors lead and ensure that the U remains a safe and inclusive university for all its students,” @MelanieUSA1 wrote.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, students also took to the popular site “Rate My Professor” to express their thoughts on Primov. She was rated 1.0 out of 5.0 for the quality of her teaching by several students alongside their reviews.
“She is so not socially aware and deserves to be fired,” read one anonymous comment.
The University of Miami statement included a reference from an email sent to students from the Faculty Senate, the administration and the board of trustees on Aug. 19.
“As the leaders of our Faculty Senate, Administration, and Board reassured the University of Miami community in a joint statement earlier this week, ‘we have high expectations of every member of our community to treat all others with dignity and abide by the standards and policies that enable us to achieve our mission,’” the University of Miami said in a statement. “The University of Miami is committed to free expression, academic excellence, and intellectual inquiry, which rely on the civil, respectful exchange of ideas.”
The University policy for political advocacy among staff can be found in the Faculty Manual and states that while expression of political opinions is acceptable, “It is very important that they do so only in their individual capacities and avoid the use of University trademarks, logos, and imagery in faculty and staff social media posts that are electoral or partisan in nature, or otherwise would imply the University’s endorsement of the views expressed in the post.”
In the comment section of this post, members of the UM community shared their opinions.
A comment by @ainsley_hilliard read, “UM has been so tone deaf to the suffering of Palestinians over the last year. I wish I was surprised at this behavior. Now acknowledging Palestine existence is ‘political advocacy.’ Do better UM.”
Some students expressed that the UM statement continues to ignore the voices of Palestinian students who in March of this year spoke with former President Julio Frenk about releasing a statement acknowledging the Palestinian population at UM.
“I am scared and disgusted by UM’s clear alliance to only one group and complete disregard for the lives of another,” commented @ali_astacio, who identified herself a Jewish student. “Palestinian students deserve the same support the university has ONLY extended to those with ties to Israel.”
Other students expressed their support of the University’s message and policy for keeping politics out of the classroom.
“Professors do not need to be bringing any of this noise into a classroom!!!!” commented @leahaber93. “Keep the geopolitical debate, religion, and everything else pertaining your personal life at home.”
At the University of Miami, multiple policies are in place for both students and faculty to enforce a zero-tolerance approach that regulates activism.
The Students Rights and Responsibilities Handbook states, “Demonstrations cannot disrupt the normal operations of the University, infringe on the rights of other members of the University community, or fail to adhere with all applicable University policies and procedures.”
The statement on Instagram reminded students of these policies.
“We will continue to swiftly address any instances that are not in keeping with our policies and our core values of respect, open mindedness, and care, that are essential to our culture at the U,” the statement read.
The X account “StopAntisemites” shared the UM statement on its feed shortly after it was posted. Some social media users and students have commended the University for its quick response.
“As a Jewish student, I am very appreciative of the quick actions that our administration took to handle the situation,” said Ariella Green, a sophomore public relations major with a minor in broadcast journalism. “A French class is not the place to bring politics into the classroom — nor is any non-political class for that matter. It’s right for all students to feel safe when stepping foot in a classroom.”
Betty Srour, a senior majoring in political science and public relations and president of UM Hillel, an on-campus organization dedicated to Jewish student life at UM, echoed the sentiment.
“In my experience at UM, I have always felt safe in the classroom to express my Jewish identity without discomfort,” said Srour. “A professor made Jewish students uncomfortable by making a political statement that speaks to their core identities, hindering their ability to learn. I appreciate UM and their efforts to continue to create a comfortable academic setting for all students.”
’Canes for Palestine, a student group of students, released a statement to their Instagram in response to the University’s response on Saturday, Aug. 24.
“We condemn the statement released by the University of Miami in which they forced a professor to publicly apologize simply for wearing a Palestine shawl to class,” the post by @canesforpalestine said. “This is unacceptable and exemplifies the excessive restrictions on free expression that students and faculty face on campus…Additionally, UM has put this professor at extreme risk of harm by posting their personal information for the entire University to see.”
As the statement continued, ’Canes for Palestine encouraged the University and campus community to respond.
“We call on UM to end its silence on and complicity in genocide and meet the demands of Palestinian students and all those standing in solidarity with them,” the group wrote. “We encourage all students and faculty to wear a kuffiyeh, shawl, or anything Palestine related to classes to demonstrate solidarity with the Professor and all Palestinians.”
Jenny Jacoby and Lauren Ferrer contributed to the reporting in this article