Boston University senior Mary Haddad, a vocal activist and dedicated supporter of the Quinobequin Student Front For Palestine, was suspended for one year, effective immediately, after the University said Haddad assaulted a police officer during a QSFP sit-in protest on March 5.
The University declines to comment on student disciplinary matters, BU Spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press.
Documents obtained by the DFP courtesy of Haddad outline a series of email communications between Haddad and University officials that led to her immediate suspension.
“I am just among of the first to receive a harsh sanction without basis for Palestine activism,” Haddad wrote in a press release sent to the DFP. “The University lets you speak until your words become action.”
QSFP, formerly known as Boston University Students for Justice in Palestine, held an “emergency rally” March 5 to protest a lack of action from the University following a Student Government-administered referendum calling for BU to disclose, divest and reinvest funds from companies supporting Israel.
The rally included a sit-in at the 1 Silber Way administrative building, during which BU Police Department officers “used their arms to prevent entrance to the building,” according to a May 30 letter to Haddad from Dale Robbins, assistant dean of students and director of the Office of Judicial Affairs.
The letter notified Haddad she received an allegation that she violated section III.B.5 of the BU Code of Student Responsibilities for “physically assaulting” BUPD Deputy Chief Robert Molloy during the rally.
“I was surprised at these allegations, having never done anything I believe could constitute assault and not having seen the officer fall to the ground or injure himself,” Haddad wrote in an Aug. 27 letter to University Provost Gloria Waters.
Robbins’ letter also alleged Haddad “harassed” University President Melissa Gilliam and her executive assistant on April 14 during an incident when a group of individuals followed Gilliam along Bay State Road reciting chants relating to calls for BU to declare itself a sanctuary campus.
According to the letter, Gilliam identified Haddad within the group and recalled seeing her during an art-related event on April 15 at 1 Silber Way.
Dean of Students Jason Campbell-Foster sent an email June 16 to Haddad stating the BU Judicial Affairs’ investigation found Haddad violated Point 6 of the Appendix of the Code of Student Responsibilities, which prohibits physical assault.
The disciplinary actions applied include a university suspension through May 19, 2026, and a petition for readmission on or after April 1, 2026. The letter granted Haddad an “automatic stay of the sanction,” which holds her official suspension until after the appeals process is completed.
Haddad appealed the decision in her Aug. 27 letter, asking Waters “to overturn the finding of assault after reviewing the evidence in the case.”
“If not, I am asking you to reduce my punishment given at worst this was an unfortunate accident,” she wrote.
In the letter, Haddad wrote she did her “very best to avoid any physical contact with the officer” and placed her hands in the air twice. She wrote she obtained a video BUPD has of the incident through a faculty member and wrote it does not show Haddad touching Molloy.
The DFP has not been able to obtain any photos or videos used in the investigation to verify the content of the video.
Haddad wrote in the Instagram statement that no aggression came from students.
In an email to Haddad on Aug. 29, Waters affirmed the decision of the hearing panel of the University Board of Student Conduct, agreeing with Campell-Foster’s June 16 decision but lifting the sanction of suspension, making the suspension effective immediately.
Campbell-Foster’s June 16 email states the case is not about Haddad’s protected speech or her participation in protest.
“It is about behavior — specifically, conduct that caused harm and compromised the safety and dignity of another person,” he wrote. “When advocacy results in harm to others, we risk undermining the very goals we aim to advance.”
In the Instagram statement, QSFP wrote Haddad was “unjustly” accused of assault.
“Through their repression behind closed doors, BU says that dissent is not welcome on campus,” QSFP wrote. “That the blood-soaked dollars lining their pockets speak louder than the student body’s collective voice.”
Haddad stated her punishment is “nothing but fuel.”
“It is an honor to be among the millions of students who have fought for Palestine and have been unjustly punished for standing on the right side of history,” Haddad wrote.
QSFP emphasized its plans for continued activism during the fall 2025 semester.
“We hear their message loud and clear, but if they think they can silence us, they are mistaken,” QSFP wrote. “The more they try, the louder we will be.”
