Twenty Jewish student protesters were arrested Nov 8. What’s happened since then?
Twenty Brown students were arrested Nov. 8 following a sit-in at University Hall demanding that President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 commit to supporting a divestment of the University’s endowment from “companies that enable war crimes in Gaza.” The students — part of a new group BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now — also called for the University to publicly support a ceasefire in Gaza.
The demands came amidst Israel’s response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, which Israeli officials say killed 1,200 people. The Israeli response — which includes airstrikes, escalated blockades and a ground invasion — has killed more than 14,000 people in Gaza as of Nov. 25, the New York Times reported.
After being arrested by the University’s Department of Public Safety, the students were released from custody on the same evening and faced charges of willful trespass, according to Amanda McGregor, a University spokesperson. The charges were dropped Monday, The Herald reported.
Here's what to know:
Twenty Jewish students staged a sit-in at University Hall demanding that the University divest its endowment from “companies that enable war crimes in Gaza.” They also demanded the University call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
That evening, all 20 students — who are members of the new group BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now — were arrested by Brown’s Department of Public Safety. A University spokesperson confirmed that the students were being charged with willful trespass. Those charges were dropped Nov. 27, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 told The Herald.
The sit-in began amidst a campus-wide walkout organized by Students for Justice in Palestine and the Palestine Solidarity Caucus, which similarly called for a ceasefire and divestment.
The arrested students previously awaited a Nov. 28 court date. The court date was canceled after the University dropped charges on Nov. 27.