Following in the footsteps of their peers at Columbia, Yale, and other elite universities, students at Princeton are preparing to set up their own anti-Israel encampment, documents obtained by National Review show. In a draft press release detailing their goals, the Princeton Gaza Solidarity wants the university to divest from Israel, call for a ceasefire, divest the hundreds of millions it holds in fossil fuel companies, stop sponsoring birthright trips to Israel, and end research funded by the Department of Defense, among other demands.
“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,” the group states. “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!”
In their effort to recruit "protesters," the group discusses why others should not be concerned about the consequences of their actions.
The group claims to have a trained security team, pro bono legal support, and “faculty members on our side to negotiate with administration.”
“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,” reads a portion of the document under the subhead “understanding the risk.” It continues, “Explusion [sic] is highly unlikely; at Princeton it requires committee and we know that at least 2 faculty members who are part of the committtee [sic] are in the Faculty for Justice in Palestine.”
The document further notes that sanctions can include minor punishments like probation or serious penalties like loss of housing. The students say that “legal charges” are “unlikely to be more than trespassing” and there will be a warning beforehand that provides an opportunity to leave. (National Review)
The group said it was undeterred by an email from Princeton’s vice president for campus life, Rochelle Calhoun, warning that those involved in setting up an encampment and who refuse to stop after warnings “will be arrested and immediately barred from campus” as well as face disciplinary action from the university.
“This is a partial bluff,” an organizer wrote in a group chat, reports NR. “No university that has arrested or suspended students have done so without multiple warnings. These would be incredibly bad optics for Princeton and the email is a strategic move to weaken us.”
“We have multiple criminal defense attorneys on call ready to support us and work through any arrests that may ‘occur.’ We have people committed to jail support as well,” the person added.
Indeed, the students are probably correct that they won't face serious consequences. At Barnard, for example, college officials caved on suspending dozens of its students involved in the unauthorized Columbia University encampment last week, and administrators at Columbia pushed back their deadline for anti-Israel demonstrators to disperse, allowing for more time to negotiate.
