Abigail had a big scoop this morning based on documents showing sophisticated plans for an anti-Israel encampment at Princeton similar to the one at Columbia. What’s clear is there is extensive organization (including pro bono lawyers on standby and media training advice) and that the leaders of the protests don’t actually believe they will face any real consequences. Since publishing this, encampments have been set up at USC and Harvard, among other universities. But administrators at universities with more recent encampments have the advantage of learning from the mistakes made by Columbia. The biggest mistake was not to nip the encampments in the bud.
From the moment that students invade a space for an unauthorized protest — from the instant the first stake is planted — security should be sent in and the students should face arrest and expulsion. A functional university cannot allow a tent city to be a permanent fixture on campus. This means at some point, any encampment will have to be cleared out. But clearing it out at the beginning is much easier, and requires much less force.
The strategy of campus organizers parallels that of Hamas. That is, they want to break the rules, ignore all warnings, and provoke a reaction that will produce images they can portray as an overreaction to elicit more sympathy for their cause.
Columbia administrators now face a crisis of their own making. They will inevitably have to dismantle the encampments and retake the university, which not only has become unsafe for Jewish students who don’t affirmatively renounce Israel, but practically speaking, would be disruptive to final exams and graduation ceremonies. But because the encampment is so large, they know that clearing it out will require a significant show of force that risks turning violent. They are terrified of scenes of clashes between students and NYPD officers. So, that’s why Minouche Shafik, the university president, keeps extending the deadline for the protesters to dismantle the encampment.
If other universities don’t want to be in the same place as Columbia a few days from now, they should move swiftly and deliberately against protesters.
As Abigail reported, Princeton’s vice president for campus life, Rochelle Calhoun, warned in an email this morning that, “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.” Organizers believe the administration is bluffing. If Princeton does not want to turn into the next Columbia, they better not be.