Students at Princeton University are preparing to set up a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus, mimicking similar protests that have sprouted up at other universities across the United States. Records obtained by the National Review reveal that the students have labeled their protest the “Princeton Gaza Solidarity Encampment” and have outlined a list of demands that they want the university to meet before the protest is dismantled.
The students are demanding that the university call for a ceasefire in Gaza and condemn Israel’s actions, provide financial transparency on its investments and divest its endowments from companies associated with Israel, associate itself with Palestinian institutions and disassociate with Israeli ones, such as sponsoring birthright Israel trips.
“We’re not going anywhere until these demands are met — hundreds of students, alumni, workers, and professors are and will continue to exercise their right to peacefully protest. Our values call on us to speak up for justice for Palestinians, and to confront the unethical investments of Princeton University’s endowment. We will not be silenced, we will be heard. We will not rest until divest!” the document reads.
In addition to these demands, the National Review has obtained other documents that the protesters have disseminated, including a list of professors who are friendly to their cause, as well as instructions on how to recruit more people to join the encampment and the different roles that people will have within the encampment, such as running to get supplies and how much risk is associated with each of the roles.
In one of the documents, the students highlight that they do not believe that the university will take extreme measures such as expulsion against students who participate in the protest. “We think expulsion is highly unlikely; only students who have been expelled in the movement at Vanderbilt were expelled for touched (‘assaulted’) a police officer. Expulsion is highly unlikely; at Princeton it requires a committee and we know that at least 2 faculty members who are part of the committee are in the Faculty for Justice in Palestine,” the document reads.
The university’s vice president for student life has sent out an email to students reminding them of the school’s commitment to free expression — but also warning that there are strict limits to protests on campus.
“For those reasons, among others, our policies explicitly prohibit such conduct, and I want to be sure you understand that we will act promptly in order to address it. Any individual involved in an encampment, occupation, or other unlawful disruptive conduct who refuses to stop after a warning will be arrested and immediately barred from campus. For students, such exclusion from campus would jeopardize their ability to complete the semester. In addition, members of our community would face a disciplinary process (for students this could lead to suspension, delay of a diploma, or expulsion),” Rochelle Calhoun said.
At other pro-Palestinian encampments, hundreds of students have been arrested and other schools have gone as far as to expel students for their participation. These protests have received bipartisan condemnation, especially at Columbia University, where numerous lawmakers have visited and called for the president to resign.
