PRINCETON, N.J. (CBS) — Two Princeton University students were arrested for trespassing on Thursday at a pro-Palestinian protest, a university spokesman said.
A pro-Palestinian student group at Princeton announced on social media that it was launching a “Gaza Solidarity encampment” at the university’s McCosh Courtyard at 7 a.m. Thursday, demanding the university divest from Israel and call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
The protesters and student groups expressed support for the wave of support for Palestinians on college quads across the country, inspired by encampments at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York.
The Princeton spokesperson said the gathering consisted of “fewer than 100 people” and that “a small number began erecting about a half-dozen tents, which is a violation of University policy.”
After warnings from security to leave the area, two graduate students were arrested, the spokesperson said. The protesters then took down their tents.
The two students who were arrested are now barred from campus, Princeton’s spokesperson said.
Images from Chopper 3 showed students were still gathered on campus after the arrests took place. Students were holding Palestinian flags and a large sign appeared to be hanging from a tree reading “Popular University for Gaza.”
A letter from the university’s vice president for campus life, W. Rochelle Calhoun, informed students that “[a]ny 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.”
“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,” Calhoun said. “They are also inconsistent with the University’s mission and its legal obligation to provide a safe environment for all students and employees.”
Other protests around the country were continuing Thursday.
Columbia has switched to remote learning for the final weeks of the semester after a pro-Palestinian encampment launched on school grounds. University President Minouche Shafik has said if the school and protesters cannot reach an agreement to clear the grounds by Friday, she will find alternative options for clearing out the encampment, CBS New York reported.
In Boston, over 100 people were arrested as police cleared out a pro-Palestinian encampment at Emerson College overnight. Boston Police told CBS News Boston that three officers received minor injuries and one was seriously injured.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has condemned the campus protests as antisemitic and compared them to rallies held in Nazi Germany. Young Palestinians told CBS News they appreciated the American students’ support.
