Pro-Palestine Advocates Move to Dismiss Baseless Lawsuit Targeting Right to Protest in Chicago

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 26, 2025

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CHICAGO, IL — A group of civil and human rights advocates filed a motion yesterday to dismiss a lawsuit targeting people alleged to have participated in a peaceful demonstration outside O’Hare International Airport last spring. The Chicago protest in April called for an end to U.S. support for Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.

The group includes National Students for Justice in Palestine, Dissenters, Jewish Voice for Peace, WESPAC Foundation, and individuals such as Jinan Chehade, Simone Tucker, Superior Murphy, and Rifqa Falaneh, named as defendants in a SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) suit, filed on behalf of Christopher Manhart by the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute. USCPR and AMP were previously named in this lawsuit, but were successfully permanently dismissed.

SLAPP suits are widely recognized as a tool for weaponizing the legal system to silence criticism, intimidate activists and journalists, and retaliate against constitutionally protected speech. Illinois — along with over 30 other U.S. states — has an anti-SLAPP law to protect against these lawsuits, giving defendants the right to dismiss meritless and retaliatory claims. 

The lawsuit is a deliberate attempt to silence critics of U.S. support for Israel’s genocide and occupation of Palestine, specifically targeting protesters in Chicago who participated in an April 2024 demonstration at O’Hare Airport. Today’s motions to dismiss argue that the lawsuit is baseless, lacking both legal merit and factual foundation.

“With the Trump administration now threatening to arrest and deport protesters, it’s crucial that we come together to fight back against dangerous lawsuits like these, which are intended to spread fear and intimidate ordinary people advocating for justice. We will not be silenced,” said Rifqa Falaneh, one of the activists named in the suit.

In New York, the ACLU recently moved to dismiss a similar SLAPP suit targeting faculty at Columbia University who spoke out in support of student protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The legal group called the lawsuit “vindictive,” “meritless,” and “ludicrous.” Due to the legally frivolous nature of the complaint, which has no basis in law or fact, some defendants named in the lawsuit have served Rule 11 motions for sanctions against the plaintiff’s law firm outlining how these claims are in bad faith. 

“This lawsuit is part of a growing pattern of legal attacks on the First Amendment rights of advocates for Palestinian human rights,” said Sheila Bedi, an attorney representing Dissenters and the four individual defendants. “Plaintiff’s claims attempt to eviscerate the right to protest in Illinois and across the nation. This is a transparent attempt to silence and punish protests against the US government. For these reasons, it must be dismissed.” 

Signed, 

American Muslims for Palestine – National 
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights 
Dissenters
Jewish Voice for Peace – National 
Jinan Chehade 
Rifqa Falaneh 
Simone Tucker
Superior Murphy