UC Berkeley – Suspension of Peyrin Kao

Summary

On September 5, 2025, UC Berkeley computer science lecturer Peyrin Kao began a hunger strike to protest the Israeli war in Gaza. The strike lasted 38 days, ending on October 12, 2025, during which Kao continued teaching his courses and received high student evaluations. He described the strike as a moral obligation to advocate for Palestinian human rights. Some students and faculty supported his actions as courageous, while others criticized them, arguing that bringing political advocacy into the classroom was inappropriate and could disrupt instruction.

On December 10, 2025, UC Berkeley announced it had suspended Kao without pay for six months, beginning January 1, 2026. The university cited violations of Regents’ Policy 2301, which prohibits using classroom time to advance political or ideological causes or to create a hostile environment for students. Administrators said Kao had misused classroom time and disrupted instruction through his activism. Kao and his supporters denied these claims and argued that the policy was being applied selectively. The suspension prompted protests, teach-ins, and petitions for his reinstatement. The Council on American-Islamic Relations criticized the decision, calling it a violation of academic freedom and urging the university to reverse the suspension, describing it as punishing a faculty member for engaging in lawful speech and advocacy.

Earlier in 2025, the university had provided the names of roughly 160 students, faculty, and staff to the U.S. Department of Education as part of a federal investigation into alleged antisemitism on campus. Kao was among those listed because of his involvement in demonstrations and advocacy related to Gaza and Israel. Some members of the campus community expressed concern that the disclosures could chill political expression and academic inquiry, while the university emphasized its responsibility to respond to complaints of bias and harassment.

Following the suspension, students and faculty organized a series of public teach-ins and solidarity actions. These events included discussions and workshops on academic freedom, human rights, and political advocacy in higher education. Participants held demonstrations outside administrative offices, circulated informational materials on faculty rights and freedom of expression, and coordinated online campaigns to raise awareness about the suspension. The actions aimed to support Kao, challenge the university’s interpretation of Policy 2301, and highlight the broader debate over political advocacy in the classroom.