Rutgers student arrested for posting anti-Hamas flyers: "I won't be silenced"

A Rutgers Law School student who protested against anti-Israel demonstrators on campus was arrested by police for refusing to stop distributing flyers that labeled Hamas as "savages."

George Maravelias, a disabled veteran who served as a United States Army First Lieutenant and deployed to Afghanistan, began his campus activism in November 2023. He told Planet Chronicle Digital that after October 7, a minority of law school students set up tables and displayed flyers criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza.

He positioned a table beside them with his beliefs, which include the assertion that Hamas are rapists and monsters, that October 7 was a terrorist attack, and that many of the statements they apply towards Israel, he believes, also apply to America.

A woman began tearing down Maravelias' flyers after he hung them on walls with anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian content.

The person I spoke to said that it was against the policy to place flyers in that location, which was next to bulletin boards that contained only one speech and viewpoint.

Sahar Aziz, a distinguished professor of law and Chancellor's Social Justice Scholar, escorted Maravelias to Dean Cate Lysionek's office with crumpled papers in hand. Maravelias asserted that Aziz was informed that no policy prohibited him from expressing political views.

Aziz, speaking in her individual capacity and not as a representative of Rutgers, denied Maravelias' assertion that she was informed there was no policy against his actions. She stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that when the flyers were posted, the law school had a signage policy that prohibited students from putting flyers on the bare walls of the law school atrium. The only place where flyers could be posted was on the bulletin boards.

Maravelias was accused by Aziz of violating the policy when he posted multiple signs on the walls and asserted that no other flyers were placed on the atrium walls at the time.

Lysionek instructed Maravelias to inform Dean Johanna Bond about Aziz's interference with the free speech of students who were against the pro-Palestinian activists, as there were multiple reports of such incidents.

Aziz stated that she did not interfere with the free speech of students on campus, regardless of their viewpoints, and asserted that there is no evidence to support Maravelias' "false claim."

She observed that other faculty have organized at least two pro-Israeli events with the Zionist Organization of America and Stand With Us, and to her knowledge, the events were held without any interference.

While there are external organizations that have tried to censor Palestine-related programming hosted by the Center for Security, Race and Rights, Rutgers University has an academic freedom policy that applies to all faculty regardless of their viewpoint or identity.

Dean Johanna Bond and Dean Sarah K. Regina were informed about the incident by Maravelias.

Aziz's actions were allegedly not condemned by Bond, and he declined to meet with Maravelias to discuss the issue.

He also sent an email to Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway, claiming that the school had infringed upon his First Amendment rights.

"In the military, there's an open-door policy. You escalate it through the hierarchy. I didn't hear anything," Maravelias stated.

No response was received from Dean Bond, Dean Regina, Lysionek, and President Holloway regarding Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.

In May, he planned to participate in a counter-protest against protesters who established an encampment on Rutgers' Newark grounds. The protesters displayed signs such as "From the river to the sea" and "Globalize the Intifada." They also presented a list of demands, including the prohibition of military recruiters on Rutgers campuses.

He found the previous speech to be grotesque, disgusting, and offensive. However, he decided to participate in the same speech again at Rutgers, maintaining the same point of view. This time, he ensured that his speech was not offensive, did not target Palestinian people, and did not contain any racist, Islamophobic, or bigoted remarks.

Several people tore down his flyers that night. The campus security advised him to lodge a police complaint.

"I go to the police, but they tell me they can't do anything about it. So, I'm like, where's the accountability? Why is my speech being taken down?" he said to Planet Chronicle Digital.

The next day, Maravelias went to Dean Regina's office to inquire about the rules for posting around the school and how he could obtain accountability if anyone hindered his speech. However, leadership did not provide an answer.

Maravelias remembered saying, "I'm going to participate in my speech. If anyone touches my flyers, it's tit for tat. They rip down mine; I'm gonna rip down theirs. I'm not gonna let anyone censor me while I'm participating in free speech."

He posted flyers criticizing Hamas and tied Israeli and American flags together, but was verbally attacked by a pro-Palestinian crowd who called him a "baby killer, genocidal maniac, Zionist" and more. While he left the encampment's messages in place, activists tore them down as soon as he posted his flyers.

A group of Rutgers University police officers surrounded Maravelias and allegedly requested a private conversation with him.

He stated, "I'll post my flyers in the same location as theirs. If you wish to communicate with me, we can do so here. Despite their attempts to persuade or hinder me from posting my flyers, I will proceed."

Another police officer instructed Maravelias to remove his "Stand with Israel" and "Stand with America" flyers, claiming that his speech was inflammatory.

"If I continue to post my speech, will I be arrested? Because if you're tearing down my flyers and I keep posting them, what happens? He said I'll be arrested." - Maravelias

The police asked Maravelias to put his hands behind his back after he refused to stop posting flyers in the area where the protest encampment had placed hundreds of signs.

Maravelias was arrested by the Rutgers Police Department, detained, fingerprinted, and photographed before being released after several hours in custody.

The Rutgers University Police Department declined to provide a comment to Planet Chronicle Digital.

Maravelias had charges filed against him for a petty disorderly persons offense.

The court summons to Maravelias stated that it is unlawful to intentionally or recklessly cause public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm by creating a hazardous or physically dangerous condition through an act that serves no legitimate purpose.

He graduated from Rutgers Law School soon after.

While Maravelias stated that he does not see anything wrong with Rutgers as an institution, he emphasized the need for an evaluation to determine if leaders at the school are meeting the university's standards.

He stated that it is necessary for us to have a genuine leadership confrontation with the Rutgers institution, particularly the law school.

In July 2024, the charges against Maravelias were dismissed at the first substantive court date. However, Rutgers filed student conduct administrative charges against him and refused to expunge them, according to his lawyer, Christopher J. D'Alessandro.

In the early 1990s, D'Alessandro served in the Army and later went to college on a GI Bill. He began working for the New Jersey State Parole Board in 1997. In 2005, he re-enlisted in the New Jersey Army National Guard and deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, citing the 9/11 attacks' impact. Currently, D'Alessandro serves as a logistics officer and retired from parole in 2015.

D'Alessandro attended Rutgers Law School and did a fellowship at Rutgers Law Associates. He is also the former VP of Veteran Alumni at Rutgers University.

D'Alessandro, who is a veteran himself, stated that the issue is not exclusive to Maravelias and applies to any veteran considering attending Rutgers Law School. He has encouraged many veterans to attend Rutgers Law School and tries to persuade every veteran to do so.

The issue at hand is that I want to be proud of the school I attended and be able to confidently recommend it to a veteran as a law school that will teach them how to obtain justice.

Rutgers' handling of the Newark anti-Israel encampment was vastly different from how they dealt with D'Alessandro's client.

According to D'Alessandro, the Rutgers administration negotiated with the "pro-Hamas encampment" and permitted its residents, many of whom were non-students, to act with impunity, rather than enforcing laws, rules, and regulations.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka issued 10 housing stipends to encampment protesters due to their homelessness, as revealed by Maravelias.

He also noted that Rutgers had expressed no interest in settling the matter.

Baraka's office did not return Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.

If Maravelias were to re-enroll at Rutgers, the conduct charges would be reinstated, as stated in a letter he received directly from the school.

Rutgers is demanding a $804 fee for the Body Worn Camera footage of Maravelias' arrest, while also refusing to provide CCTV surveillance footage of the event, citing concerns about campus security.

"I did not take the bar exam because I have been too distracted by fighting criminal charges to study effectively. The actions of Rutgers against me also affect my being barred, as I have to pass Character and Fitness, disclosing all that has transpired to the Bar," Maravelias stated.

D'Alessandro recalls an old police adage from his time in law enforcement that says, "You might beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride," which describes Maravelias' situation.

D'Alessandro stated that Maravelias' charges were dismissed, but he was still arrested, publicly humiliated, made to feel like a criminal, taken down to the station, stuck in a cell, fingerprinted, and photographed. This booking will be recorded in the system, which anyone who looks up Maravelias' client will be able to see.

A defense attorney represented Maravelias pro bono, without any legal fees.

As a veteran who frequently represents other veterans in employment cases, D'Alessandro finds the situation disappointing because their rights are often violated.

"Rutgers taught me how to be a lawyer and seek justice for my clients. It's disheartening that I must now face off against my alma mater because they denied a law student their First Amendment rights. This is truly unbelievable," he stated.

Rutgers Law School did not return Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.