Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) says he will respect a court decision allowing a “vigil for Gaza” planned at the University of Maryland on Oct. 7, but he considers it “inappropriate” to hold the event on the anniversary of Hamas’s attack against Israel.
On Tuesday, a federal court ruled in favor of campus group Students for Justice in Palestine, which sued the university after it canceled the vigil for those killed in Gaza.
“I think Oct. 7 is an inappropriate date for such an event,” Moore said in a statement.
“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,” he added.
The university had originally approved the vigil before canceling all student-led events scheduled for Oct. 7, saying it would be best “to host only university-sponsored events that promote reflection on this day.”
A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to the student group to allow the event to continue, arguing the cancellation amounted to a violation of free speech.