Harvard tent city pops up as Princeton students prep own anti-Israel protest despite warnings: ‘Immediately barred from campus’
The Ivy League anti-Israel encampments are spreading.
A tent city popped up at Harvard University on Wednesday while Princeton University students were gearing up for their own — but leaders at the New Jersey school warned that any protesters camping out would be “arrested and immediately barred from campus,” documents show.
A group at Princeton plans on setting up a “Princeton Gaza Solidarity Encampment” involving at least 20 protesters in a bid for the university to divest from Israel, according to a trove of docs obtained by The Post.
Protesters would have pro bono legal support and a “trained security team.” Faculty members who support their cause would also be willing to negotiate with the administration.
And while the group organizing the potential encampment warned those who participated could risk arrest or suspension, expulsion seemed “highly unlikely,” according to the documents first reported on by the National Review.
The group also stated any criminal charges would “unlikely” be anything more than trespassing.
The school, in an email to students that was also shared with The Post, vowed to “act promptly” if a tent city is erected. Protesters could be arrested, as well as face suspension of even expulsion, Princeton warned.
“In addition to disrupting University operations, some types of protest actions (including occupying or blocking access to buildings, establishing outdoor encampments and sleeping in any campus outdoor space) are inherently unsafe for both those involved and for bystanders, and they increase the potential for escalation and confrontation,” Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun said in an email.
“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,” Calhoun also stated.
“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).”
A draft press release obtained by the National Review outlines the goals of the possible encampment, including forcing Israel to call for an immediate cease-fire and condemn Israel’s “genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people.”
It’s unclear when the encampment would begin.
The group, which appears to be looking to recruit others for the encampment suggested it was best to communicate with others over the phone or in-person. They also presented several different locations where they could pitch their tents.
While Princeton students were still in the planning stages Wednesday, their Ivy League cohorts at Harvard put up more than a dozen tents in Harvard Yard against the school’s wishes, local news footage showed.
Harvard tried to stop the encampment when it announced the grassy area would be closed all week, the Harvard Crimson previously reported on Monday.
A school spokesperson told the Crimson Wednesday administrators “are closely monitoring the situation and are prioritizing the safety and security of the campus community.”
Anti-Israel protests have ratcheted up on college campuses over the past week after students at Columbia University set up a tent city that’s engulfed the New York City school in division and controversy.
The demonstrations have been an ongoing presence in the Big Apple since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ deadly attack on Oct. 7.
Students at NYU also set up an encampment that was torn down at the direction of school leaders this week. Yale had a tent city before it was also disbanded. University of Southern California students also attempted to set up an encampment Wednesday, according to reports.
