A student group is suing the University of Maryland after the school canceled an interfaith vigil planned for Oct. 7 to mark the first anniversary of Hamas' attack on Israel.

On Monday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Palestine Legal filed a lawsuit disputing the decision on behalf of UMD Students for Justice in Palestine.

The university originally permitted SJP to hold the vigil, which the organization planned to co-host with Jewish Voice for Peace.

In a letter to the school community earlier this month, University President Darryll Pines stated that only university-sponsored events would be permitted on that day, citing "an abundance of caution."

Before announcing its decision, the institution faced pressure from some Jewish groups to prohibit the vigil. The lawsuit seeks an injunction, allowing the event to continue as scheduled.

CAIR and Palestine Legal claim the decision to cancel the event violates the First Amendment by discriminating based on viewpoint and content.

"The First Amendment does not allow the government to make October 7th or any other day a free-expression-black-out date. The clarity of the constitutional violation, if maintained, courts conflict," CAIR National Deputy Litigation Director Gadeir Abbas said in a statement on Tuesday.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Tori Porell, staff attorney at Palestine Legal, said, "The University of Maryland's decision, if not challenged, will inevitably chill and intimidate Palestinian and associated students on campus into believing that basic expressions of solidarity with Palestinians will be met with censorship and punishment by their university."

At a Tuesday news conference, student Daniela Colombi, a member of the SJP chapter, described the group's values as "equality, justice, and liberation, not just for Palestine but for all," the Washington Post reported.

Colombi urged that the statewide system and the institution change their minds and permit the vigil.

The lawsuit requests the court to rule the restrictions on the Oct. 7 events unlawful and to grant SPJ damages and attorney fees.

Tags University of Maryland, Israel