The University of Maryland chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine can proceed with a campus demonstration on the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel, after a federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the group “has demonstrated a substantial likelihood that it will prevail [in its lawsuit] on the merits of its freedom of speech claim.”

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte came after the university, which had initially OK’d the rally, reversed course last month and canceled it, prompting the SJP lawsuit stating that its First Amendment rights had been violated.

In a statement, UMD, which has one of the largest Jewish student populations in the country — nearly 20% of the College Park undergraduate student body of more than 30,000 is Jewish — said that it “recognizes, and will abide by, the court’s decision, and will work with all registered student organizers of events requested for October 7.”

The statement continued, “Event organizers, campus officials and UMPD will implement a plan that allows all events to proceed in accordance with the court’s ruling. Notwithstanding today’s court ruling, the safety concerns that were raised remain a source of ongoing attention and focus for us.”

UMD said that in compliance with the court’s decision, “we will now move forward with the events, addressing those concerns and challenges with care and caution, including the implementation of a robust safety plan. This includes enhanced staffing and resources with a strong security presence.” 

SJP told the Washington Post that it will go ahead with Monday’s demonstration, with a member of the group saying they were “relieved to have the chance to actually put on this event.” In July, the UMD chapter of SJP said that it “unequivocally states that the Zionist state of Israel has no right to exist.” In a separate social media post the group said that it “openly supports armed struggle.” 

Ari Israel, executive director of UMD Hillel, told Jewish Insider on Tuesday that he is “deeply disappointed that SJP will hold an event on the university’s largest convening space on Oct. 7, the one-year mark of the largest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.” 

“We will not let this setback interfere with our plans to commemorate Oct. 7,” Israel said, noting that student leaders are finalizing plans to organize education and awareness events on campus during the day, including setting up a square to honor the 101 hostages that remain in Hamas captivity. In the evening, Israel said the “College Park mishpacha” will gather at the Hillel center. He added that Hillel is working closely with UMPD. “Now, more than ever,” Israel continued, “we will come together as a community to support our Jewish students at UMD, and the strength, courage and resilience they have displayed over the past 12 months.” 

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore also condemned the court’s decision “allowing the protest to proceed,” he said in a statement to JI. Moore said that while he “deeply respect[s] the rule of law and due process, I think Oct. 7 is an inappropriate date for such an event.” 

Moore added that the state of Maryland will work with “local and university leaders to ensure” the safety of students. 

“We know that what happens around the world has direct implications on the Maryland community,” Moore continued. “I’ve been clear — everyone in Maryland has the right to peacefully protest, to voice their opinions. But no one has the right to call for violence against each other. Terrorists target civilians, and that’s what Hamas did a year ago on Oct 7. And that’s what that day should be remembered as — a heinous terrorist attack on Israel that took innocent lives.” 

The lawsuit, jointly filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Palestine Legal on behalf of UMD SJP on Sept. 17, came as a response to the university reversing course last month on its initial allowance of Oct. 7 events on campus. At the time, the UMD President Darryll Pines wrote in a university-wide letter that the decision was made following a “safety assessment.” 

UMD originally granted SJP a permit in August to hold the Oct. 7 demonstration on the campus’s central McKeldin Mall, prompting swift backlash and calls from campus groups including Hillel and the Jewish Student Union — and from former Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan, who is running for the Senate — for the school to reverse course. After the decision was reversed, several local lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) supported the university’s decision to “preserve this day as a day of reflection.” 

On Tuesday, asked about his reaction to the court decision, Van Hollen did not address the question in a statement to JI. “October 7th was one of the darkest days in our recent history — it is a day for solemn reflection, mourning the lives lost, and remembering the hostages seized,” Van Hollen said. 

Hogan told JI that it is “unacceptable that Jewish students still feel unsafe and face antisemitism on their own campuses.” 

“That’s why I immediately spoke out against this disgraceful anti-Israel event, and I will continue to stand in solidarity with the UMD Jewish community,” he said. 

Angela Alsobrooks, Hogan’s Democratic opponent in the Senate race, said in a separate statement to JI that it is her “understanding that the university considered the safety of its students in its initial decision.”

“And as I stated then, I agreed with that decision,” Alsobrooks said. “Oct. 7 is a solemn day. To have it as a day of remembrance, I think, is important. I know too that the right to protest is foundational to our nation and that right must be protected. And it is my hope that given this court’s decision, any such protests will be conducted peacefully.”