Social justice law professor defends anti-Israel protesters who blocked traffic to Chicago airport
Share and Follow

A liberal law school professor who sparked controversy last spring during the campus unrest is helping organizers who staged a large anti-Israel protest near one of Chicago’s airports with free legal services.

Sheila Bedi, a Northwestern law professor who leads the school’s Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic, is representing four of the protest organizers who were arrested during the mayhem, according to legal documents obtained by Fox News Digital. 

Bedi’s clinic is offering pro bono services to the activists who were part of the massive protest that caused traffic delays for travelers heading to Chicago O’Hare Airport last spring. The demonstration lasted for several hours before being broken up by police. 

According to the school’s website, her clinic aims to provide law students “with the opportunities to work within social-justice movements on legal and policy strategies aimed at redressing over-policing and mass imprisonment.” 

Northwestern protester sign

Students set up tents outside Northwestern University as part of an anti-Israel demonstration in Evanston, Illionis, on April 25, 2024. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“These are free legal services, or at least unpriced legal services,” Frank told the Free Beacon. “They’re paid for by the Northwestern budget, which in turn comes from tuition dollars, it comes from taxpayers, it comes from donations.”

“There’s an irony that these free lawyers, in a world where there’s so much legal need, devote scarce resources to defending people who want to destroy the very system of Western abundance in favor of barbarians.”

The group filed a class action lawsuit against what Frank called the “anti-American” organizers, arguing that they should have to pay civil damages to travelers who missed their flights or were forced to walk miles with their luggage to get to the airport. 

Anti-Israel signs seen at an encampment at Northwestern University

Students and residents camp outside Northwestern University during an anti-Israel protest on April 27. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Palestine Legal “Justice Fellow” Rifqa Falaneh was also named in the lawsuit, claiming she was a top organizer of the protest.

Falaneh was also a frequent face at the illegal encampments on the school’s campus, the Free Beacon reported. 

Falaneh also reportedly has filed a number of civil rights complaints against the university on behalf of students who she says “have been the target of anti-Palestinian discrimination.”

The O’Hare protest was one of many that broke out across the nation as hundreds of anti-Israel agitators shut down traffic and disrupted cities while demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

In the wake of the campus unrest, several new bills in both houses of the Democratic-controlled state legislature aim to accomplish the goal by making it easier to sue colleges that don’t protect students from hate-based discrimination and attacks and requiring schools to hire an administrator to make sure they meet the requirements of federal civil rights law.

The move comes days after the Trump administration’s Department of Education announced an investigation into five prominent universities for allowing anti-Jewish hate to fester.

Fox News Digital reached out to Bedi, Palestine Legal and Northwestern University, but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Federal agents stand near the site of a shooting Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Hospital Records Confirm Death of Man Shot During Minneapolis Immigration Crackdown

Amidst the Trump administration’s intensified immigration policies, a shooting incident occurred, as…
Virginia Democrats blasted for threatening historic military college VMI with funding threat over DEI concerns

Virginia Democrats Criticize VMI, Hint at Funding Cuts Amid DEI Debate

On Tuesday, Virginia Democrats in the House of Delegates proposed a resolution…
New moms' farts may help with postpartum depression, Harvard study says

Harvard Study Suggests New Mothers’ Intestinal Gas Could Play a Role in Alleviating Postpartum Depression

Attention, new mothers! A groundbreaking study from Harvard University reveals that a…
Hyundai, Kia recall 147K EVs over charging issue

Hyundai Issues Recall for 84,000 Genesis Cars Due to Software Glitch

In a recent announcement, Hyundai has issued a recall affecting nearly 84,000…
Victoria and David make first public comments since Brooklyn rant

Victoria and David Beckham Break Silence on Brooklyn’s Public Outburst: A Family’s First Response

David and Victoria Beckham have recently opened up about cherished memories with…
White House, DHS push back on claims ICE targeted 5-year-old in Minnesota, say child was 'abandoned'

ICE Denies Misleading Claims on Family Separation and Labels Minnesota Church Rioters as Violent

A senior official from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pushed back…
Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi says doctors found 'cancerous cells' in her cervix

Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi Reveals Health Scare: Doctors Discover Cervical Cancer Cells

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is urging her followers to prioritize their health and…
My soulmate dumped me - the lie that his mother told was to blame

Heartbreak Unveiled: How a Mother’s Deception Led to My Soulmate’s Sudden Departure

At 28, my world turned upside down when the man I envisioned…