Duke Reinstates SJP After Probe Finds Instagram Post Didn’t Violate Policy

Overview

• Duke lifted the SJP suspension and funding freeze after an internal review found the March Instagram cartoon did not break university policy and required the post to remain deleted.
• Investigators said the image was offensive and referenced antisemitic tropes but did not amount to a hostile educational environment under Duke’s discrimination and harassment policy.
• The disputed flyer reused a 1970 Black Panther cartoon showing pigs labeled “Zionism” and “U.S. imperialism,” with one pig holding a Star of David.
• The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression criticized the earlier suspension as inconsistent with Duke’s free-expression promises and later praised the reinstatement.
• The case fits a wider pattern in which universities since October 2023 have disciplined SJP chapters over protests and social media content, testing how schools enforce harassment rules while protecting political speech.