PREMATURE EVACUATION: Hamas tents taken down at Princeton after just five minutes

Students at Princeton University attempted to follow Columbia protesters in forming an anti-Israel encampment.

According to the National Review, students set up tents on Thursday morning on Princeton’s campus before taking the tents down just five minutes later.

“You’re all in violation of university policy, these tents must come down right now,” an official told the protesters after the tents were set up. “This is your first warning.” 

BREAKING: Encampment begins at Princeton. https://t.co/sLJTPbCk9N pic.twitter.com/yuTnqqAEtv

— Abigail Anthony (@abigailandwords) April 25, 2024

Five minutes later, the tents were taken down and a sit-in protest followed. The protest was organized by Princeton Israeli Apartheid Divest.

[RELATED: LAPD arrests 93 people at USC during anti-Israel protest, campus closed ‘until further notice’]

A Princeton University spokesperson said in a statement to the National Review that the encampment violated university policy.

“This morning, fewer than 100 people gathered on campus, and a small number began erecting about a half-dozen tents, which is a violation of University policy,” said the spokesperson. “After repeated warnings from the Department of Public Safety to cease the activity and leave the area, two graduate students were arrested for trespassing. All tents were then voluntarily taken down by protestors. The two graduate students have been immediately barred from campus, pending a disciplinary process.”

According to one protester at Princeton, history professor Max Weiss brought his History of Palestine class to the sit-in and held a lecture.

Max Weiss delivers the inaugural lecture (bringing his whole History of Palestine class on the last day of term) for The Popular University of Gaza here at Princeton. Class is in session, join us ❤️‍🔥 pic.twitter.com/m5mB8Iyx08

— Aditi (@aditilrao) April 25, 2024

Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber wrote in an article on Thursday morning that encampments aren’t within university policy.

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“Encampments can obstruct others from moving freely or conducting University business. They can create health and safety risks,” Eisgruber wrote. “They require significant staff time to keep occupants and bystanders safe, thereby diverting people and resources from fulfilling their primary purpose. They can intimidate community members who must walk past them. There is no practical way to bar outsiders from joining the encampments.”