13 students arrested for trespassing amid pro-Palestinian protest at Princeton University
The student protesters want Princeton University to disclose their ties to Israel and divest.
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Thirteen students at Princeton University were arrested on Monday after performing a sit-in at Clio Hall on campus. Their actions were separate from other students who had formed an encampment behind Nassau Hall. That encampment was formed in protest of the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza.
The 13 students have been banned from campus, so News 12 New Jersey spoke with them nearby in Palmer Square. Their message is much the same as what has been said at campuses across the country - they want Princeton University to disclose their ties to Israel and divest.
“Princeton University and universities across the world actively profit from this bloodshed with investments and associations,” one student stated.
Those 13 students have been banned from campus, charged with trespassing and evicted from Princeton housing.
RELATED: 2 arrested for trespassing during pro-Palestinian protest at Princeton University, officials say
University President Eisgruber called the student sit-in completely unacceptable, adding, “Everyone on this campus needs to feel safe and to be safe. Faculty, students and staff must be able to conduct university business without disruption, harassment or threat.”
The administration has so far allowed the encampment behind Nassau Hall to remain on campus. The students have taken over the green space for the last five days. Tents are banned by the university so there is a patchwork of blankets and pillows. The students said they will stay until they get what they want, which is a meeting disclosing Princeton’s ties to Israel.
They said they have seen the images of war and want their school to condemn such violence.
The Princeton students are in line with those at Columbia University, where students recently took over a hall, as well as at the University of Texas where 80 students were arrested. Schools across the country from UCLA to Wisconsin are also participating in similar protests.
As final exams start next week, the students say they’re not abandoning the cause, nor the encampment.
“Until the University agrees to meet with our negotiating team we are not moving from the site,” one student stated.
Classes have finished for the semester.
