Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Recognized student group event
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Incident Political Orientation:
Left wing -
Incident Responses:
University investigation issuing in sanctions
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Did not involve Speech Codes
Summary
On May 6, 2024, the University of Wisconsin placed two student organizations—Mecha de UW–Madison and Anticolonial Scientists—on interim suspension and opened investigations into allegations that their off‑campus chalk messages amounted to discriminatory harassment, with critics claiming the chalking endorsed violence, backed terrorist groups, and included antisemitic remarks. Ten days later, on May 16, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) notified UW–Madison that these chalk messages constituted political expression protected by the First Amendment, barring the university from penalizing the groups for such speech. In August 2024, both organizations had formally separated from the university and were cleared of any policy violations.
