Several University of Massachusetts Amherst students arrested for an illegal sit-in protest in October are miffed that they’re now not permitted to enroll in study abroad programs.

Fifty-six students and faculty were charged with trespassing during an anti-Israel occupation of the Whitmore Administration Building after closing hours, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. …

The (anonymous) student’s attorney, Shay Negrón, said UMass is “oppressing” her client and their “right to the First Amendment.”

“By imposing these sanctions on my client, UMass is sending a very disturbing message: If anyone exercises their right to free speech on this particular subject matter on this campus, they will be severely punished,” Negrón said. “This is very serious and scary.”

[No it’s not. Students and faculty could have held a legal demonstration on the grounds of the campus, but chose to trespass and conduct an illegal “action” instead. That’s not a First Amendment issue, it’s a criminal matter. Choices have consequences, buttercups. Better get used to that idea, even in Academia. — Ed]