Brown Agrees to Israel Divestment Vote as GOP Delves Deeper into Anti-Semitism on a Busy Day for Student Protests

Campus protests across the country saw a series of headline-grabbing events on Tuesday, including the seizure of a building at Columbia University, a new effort by House-wide Republicans to investigate anti-Semitism and a large victory for Brown University activists.

The big success of the day for pro-Palestinian protesters came from Brown, where President Christina Paxson announced Tuesday that students would end their camp after an agreement was reached between school administrators and protest leaders to hold a vote of disinvestment in Israel.

The school agreed to allow five students to meet with the Brown University Corporation in May to discuss why they should vote to divest from companies associated with Israel or the war in Gaza. The Advisory Committee on University Resource Management will also provide recommendations related to divestment by the end of September, and the board will vote on the policy in October.

In exchange, the students agreed to break up the camp and not violate Rhode Island school rules on protests through the end of the school year, including during graduation.

“Another provision of the agreement concerns the application of Brown’s code of conduct to students involved in the camp. The tenting and other related activities violated a number of policies, and although Brown continues to follow its conduct processes related to unauthorized activities, University leaders have agreed that the end of the camp will be viewed favorably in disciplinary proceedings.” , Paxson said.

“The agreement also makes clear that reports of bias, harassment or discrimination received during the camp will continue to be investigated. Additionally, if the University receives new information about any conduct violations related to or subsequent to the camp, students will not be exempt from conduct proceedings for those violations,” he added.

Activists take Hind’s Hall

Further south in New York City, the day began with a significant escalation of pro-Palestinian protests when demonstrators took over Hind’s Hall at Columbia University, refusing to leave until their demands, which also include divestment, were met. of Israel, were satisfied.

“An autonomous group has reclaimed Hind’s Hall, formerly known as ‘Hamilton Hall,’ named after Hind Rajab, a Gaza martyr murdered at the hands of the genocidal state of Israel at the age of six,” said CU Apartheid Divest, a coalition of pro-Palestinian student organizations at the school said in a statement.

Police said they would not interfere unless there was an immediate emergency or unless requested by university officials.

Columbia spokesman Ben Chang said students occupying the building could be expelled after bringing in metal barricades and furniture to secure their position.

“Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation – vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blocking entrances – and we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday,” Chang added, referring to an earlier threat to suspend students other than the made. disperse from the Columbia camp.

The actions in Columbia were condemned by the White House, and former President Trump attempted to compare them to the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol.

“I wonder if what’s going to happen to them is going to be anything comparable to what happened to J6, because they’re causing a lot of destruction, a lot of damage, a lot of people getting seriously injured,” Trump said.

Anti-Semitism investigation in the Chamber

Amid problems on campuses, House Republicans announced Tuesday that they were establishing a chamber-wide investigation into anti-Semitism, with multiple committees playing a role in the investigation.

House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (RN.C.) announced that her panel would hold another hearing on campus anti-Semitism, this time calling on the presidents of Yale University, the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Michigan to participate.

“Republican leaders have a clear message for cowardly, foul-mouthed college leaders. Congress will not tolerate your dereliction of duty to your Jewish students. American universities have been officially informed that we have come to take back our universities,” Foxx said on Tuesday.

“Everyone affiliated with these universities will get a good dose of reality. Actions have consequences. One of those consequences is that I have given notice to Yale, UCLA, and Michigan to appear before the Education and Workforce Committee on May 23 for a hearing on their handling of these most recent outrages,” she added.

And if the reforms Republican lawmakers seek at universities aren’t made, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) threatened more action would be taken to bring schools into line.

“These are the policy changes we demand and if they don’t fix this quickly, we will see Congress respond in kind. You will see funding sources start to dry up. You will see every level of responsibility that we can muster and that is what the work of these committees and these excellent chairs will be involved in, and we will say stay tuned and you will see a lot more,” Johnson said. .

Progressive groups support protesters

Progressive groups, however, are fighting back against the treatment of protesters and condemnations from the White House and lawmakers.

The Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) college outreach arm said lawmakers have been “vilifying all protesters as hateful,” arguing that most demonstrations have been peaceful.

The group also attacked President Biden, saying that while they support his re-election, he deserves to be criticized for the way he treated college activists.

“The White House took the wrong path from a bear hug strategy to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] and a strategy of indifference to his own base and to all Americans who want to see an end to this war. Every day that Democrats fail to remain united behind a permanent ceasefire, a two-state solution and the recognition of a Palestinian state, more and more young people become disillusioned with the party,” he said.

More than 200 progressive organizations also released a statement Tuesday supporting the student protesters.

“We commend the students who are exercising their right to peacefully protest, despite an overwhelming atmosphere of pressure, intimidation and retaliation, for raising awareness of Israel’s attack on Gaza – with US weapons and funding,” the statement reads. , signed by groups such as the Sunrise Movement and Veterans for Peace.