Missouri Pro-Palestine Group Sues to March at College Homecoming

A pro-Palestine student group at the University of Missouri is seeking to allow its members to participate in an upcoming homecoming parade that the school’s chancellor excluded the group from last year.

Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine’s lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri, says Chancellor Mun Y. Choi’s blocking of its members from joining last year’s parade was a violation of their free speech rights.

The group said that leading up to the 2024 parade its work on campus, including protests, sit-ins, and marches, had never resulted in any violations or university rules. Members had planned to perform a traditional dance and hand out Palestinian candy, the lawsuit said.

But Choi personally denied the group’s request since it wanted to display “Stop the Genocide” messages he viewed as too inflammatory, according to the complaint.

The group said the administration subjected its parade application to a “unique” review process involving Choi. Delivered three days before the event, Choi’s denial cited concerns about the safety of members of the student group as well as parade watchers and other participants. Members attended the event nonetheless and protested their exclusion with the pro-Palestine, anti-genocide signs they would have otherwise displayed in the parade.

“While MSJP ultimately desired to present its messages in the Homecoming Parade itself, like each other organization was allowed to, their peaceful participation from the crowd is evidence that—absent Chancellor Choi’s decision—MSJP could have peacefully participated in the parade,” the complaint said.

Ahmad Kaki of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the student group’s lawyers, said in an interview the school’s concern over safety was a pretext to impermissibly exclude its members messages.

“There’s no question it’s part of a larger trend to suppress pro-Palestine voices on campus,” Kaki said.

University spokesman Christopher Ave said in a statement the school will defend its decision from any lawsuit, adding that the school prioritizes safety on campus.

The student group is also represented by Baldwin & Vernon.

The case is Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine v. Choi, W.D. Mo., No. 2:25-cv-04184, complaint filed 8/27/25.