The live updates on day nine of the sit-in have concluded. Follow live updates of day ten here. See previous coverage of days one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight.
This story is breaking and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Today marks the ninth day since the “Gaza solidarity encampment” first took hold in McCosh courtyard, and 4 days since the establishment of the sit-in on Cannon Green following the occupation of Clio Hall and subsequent confrontation between police and protesters on Monday.
Yesterday, protesters marched from the encampment to Firestone Plaza, where an event held by the office of Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun was being held. In the plaza, protesters demonstrated their discontent with Calhoun, calling for her resignation as a result of her response to the protesters at Clio Hall. In an email to campus, Calhoun called the protesters conduct “egregious” and “unacceptable,” stating that they created a “dangerous environment” in Clio Hall during the occupation.
President Eisgruber stood by Calhoun in a statement sent to The Daily Princetonian.
“Vice President Rochelle Calhoun is an exemplary vice president for campus life, among the best in all of higher education. She cares deeply and compassionately about every person on this campus, and she has led our community with grace and care through the most trying circumstances,” he wrote. “Some commentary on this week’s incident at Clio Hall has veered into attacks on VP Calhoun that are false and unfair. I have unwavering confidence in her leadership and her judgment.”
A similar encampment at nearby Rutgers University disbanded yesterday after making a deal with university administrators. Rutgers agreed to eight of the ten demands from protesters, but notably did not commit to divestment from Israel. Rutgers did, however, agree to a meeting between protesters and decision makers on university investments.
Sit-in sparse through night nine — May 4, 3:57 a.m.
There were few signs of life at the sit-in tonight — except for a fox which made its way into Cannon Green around 2:30 a.m. There appear to be under ten protesters present as of 3:55 a.m.
The few protesters have been rotating in and out beginning at around 3 a.m. in addition to PSAFE officers at shift change times. The ‘Prince’ observed three PSAFE officers posted around the perimeter of Cannon Green.
Second Shabbat held — May 3, 9:25 p.m.
A group of approximately twenty students held Shabbat services, marking the second Shabbat held at the sit-in since it began on April 25.
“We came together this evening to welcome the Shabbat as a progressive Jewish community, and to recognize the catastrophes in Gaza,” Zach Ducorsky ’26 said.
Earlier, a group of four men passed by Cannon Green toting golf clubs and blasting “Proud to Be an American” by Lee Greenwood. One of them yelled, “God Bless America.” Some people from the encampment shouted “Free Palestine” back.
Hunger strikers speak at town hall — May 3, 8:20 p.m.
David Chmielewski ’24, Sameer Riaz ’24, and Areeq Hasan ’24, three of the students participating in the hunger strike, spoke at a brief town hall at the sit-in.
“[We’re] undertaking this action because the University consistently refuses to meet with us or even discuss our demands,” Chmielewski said. “So if Eisgruber wants to sit in Nassau Hall and watch us starve on his lawn, then that’s what we’ll do … These are our demands: a meeting about divestment, and amnesty on both criminal and disciplinary charges for our comrades.”
Riaz said that there were 17 hunger-strikers so far; a spokesperson confirmed that all of them were undergraduates.
The strikers are being monitored by doctors and will have vital checks in the morning and the evening. Riaz noted that as the hunger strike progresses, there will be greater supervision for those who are striking, particularly at night.
“We want you all to know that we are supported in this, and that there is a lot of thought and planning that has gone into this,” he said. “At the same time … our Palestinian brothers and sisters cannot have the same level of support.”
Signs set up behind Nassau Hall — May 3, 6:20 p.m.
Cannon Green remains busy into the early evening, with some students organizing sleeping bags and blankets while others listen to talks that have been held throughout the day.
Meanwhile, the signs used during the silent march earlier have been put up along the fence behind Nassau Hall. Some of the signs read “no eviction, no expulsion” and “Princeton silences students.” One also lists the names of the people who have been arrested since the protest began.
![A brick, ivy-covered building in the early evening. Signs reading "You hear us, now listen" and "'Arrest him!' - Eisgruber [at] CPUC meeting" are posted on a black, metal fence in front of the building.](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/pri/54c2491a-086b-418b-b7c9-38c6f8378714.sized-1000x1000.jpg?w=1000&dpr=2)
Signs from the silent protest laid out behind Nassau Hall.
Victoria Davies / The Daily Princetonian
Spirits seem to remain high across the sit-in, with around ten people kicking around a soccer ball and others participating in arts and crafts. A town hall is scheduled for 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.
Protesters at the University of California-Riverside (UCR) have reached an agreement with administrators to end their encampment, which was set up on Monday, April 29. UCR will disclose available investment information and form a task force to examine the presence of arms manufacturing investments in the university’s endowment, among other demands.
Attendance strong through the afternoon — May 3, 3:55 p.m.
Attendance remains strong through the afternoon, with about 125 people scattered about Cannon Green.
About 40 students and community members gathered by the south end of the sit-in around 3:30 p.m. for a talk by Ben Burgis, a philosophy academic and columnist for the socialist publication Jacobin. Burgis explained that the Alliance of Jewish Progressives (AJP) had originally invited him to give a classroom lecture this semester, but that plans changed when it became clear that such a format “wasn’t really going to make sense anymore.” His talk focused on analyzing rhetorical arguments around Zionism, Israel, and Palestine. He began with a joke about Princeton’s amplified sound restrictions, noting that he wouldn’t be speaking into a microphone because “I do have dinner plans tonight, so I don’t want to get arrested.”
A speaker talked with protesters at 2:20 p.m.
Silent march hosted by student cultural leaders — May 3, 12:47 p.m.
Over 50 students participated in a “Silent March for Free Speech,” which started at Frist Campus Center, walked over to the sit-in and stopped at Nassau Hall for 15 minutes. Members of the march held signs including “We’re in the service of humanity, are you?,” “15 minutes for 15 arrests,” and “Are you listening to our silence?” After 15 minutes of silence in front Nassau Hall, the students walked back to the sit-in.
Students participating in the silent march.
Lucia Wetherill / The Daily Princetonian
The march was hosted by cultural leaders on campus, not necessarily organizers of the sit-in, to raise awareness for student free speech. A flyer distributed in relation to the march noted that students were locked out of cultural and academic spaces in Morrison Hall from April 30 to May 2. Morrison Hall is home to cultural studies programs such as African American Studies, Latino Studies, Indigenous Studies, and more.
As of this morning, Morrison Hall is once again able to be entered with student prox.
According to David Chmielewski ’24, a spokesperson for the students on hunger strike, the organizers at Princeton are in contact with students who have organized hunger strikes at other colleges, which has included Brown and Dartmouth. He is also participating in the strike.
“We’re doing an important element of solidarity with them as well. We’re building activist connections that will hopefully continue to sustain this movement,” Chmielewski told the ‘Prince.’
Chmielewski noted that the students are “taking this action because the University has forced us to this position.”
“They’ve consistently refused to negotiate and engage and we want to take this action to make clear to them how serious our demands are both own divestment and also on the level of granting amnesty on both criminal and disciplinary charges for the people that were arrested both in the sit-in and in the initial setup of the encampment,” he added.
Chmielewski also told the ‘Prince’ that the students participating in the hunger strike are being monitored by medical staff, which is checking students’ vital signs two times a day. Chmielewski said that as the hunger strike progresses, the frequency of these check-ins will increase, including overnight observation.
On the “Leave of Absence” section of the Graduate School website, it reads, “In situations where a student is unable or unwilling to carry out substantial self-care obligations, or presents a substantial risk of self-harm or harm to others, and the student declines to take a voluntary leave, the dean of the Graduate School has the authority to place the student on an involuntary leave.”
According to Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) “Leave of Absence” frequently asked questions from 2018, it reads, “In extraordinarily rare circumstances, when a student cannot safely participate in the campus community (with or without treatment), and that student is insisting on continuing to participate, the dean of undergraduate students may temporarily require the student to remain away from campus.”
“Hunger strike for Palestine” begins — May 3, 11:31 a.m.
At around 10:15 a.m., students put up a sign on a tree adjacent to East Pyne announcing a “Hunger strike for Palestine.” The strike started at 10 a.m.
A “Hunger Strike for Palestine” begins on campus.
Sandeep Mangat / The Daily Princetonian
Princeton Israeli Apartheid Divest (PIAD) announced the strike on X at 10:55 a.m. “Participants will abstain from all food and drink (except water) until our demands are met. We commit our bodies to their liberation of Palestine. PRINCETON, hear us now! We will not be moved!”
Their demands include meeting with students to discuss demands for “disclosure, divestment, and a fall academic and cultural boycott of Israel” and “granting complete amnesty from all criminal and disciplinary charges for participants of the peaceful sit in.” Demands also include reversing campus bans and evictions of students.
‼️ PRINCETON STUDENTS LAUNCH HUNGER STRIKE IN SOLIDARITY WITH GAZA
— Princeton Israeli Apartheid Divest (@PtonDivestNow) May 3, 2024
Participants will abstain from all food and drink (except water) until our demands are met. We commit our bodies to their liberation of Palestine. PRINCETON, hear us now! We will not be moved! pic.twitter.com/umsgAcE78f
According to a video posted on Instagram before 11:30 a.m., 14 students are participating in the strike.
“Our hunger strike, though small in comparison to the enduring suffering of the Palestinian people symbolizes our unwavering commitment to justice and solidarity,” a spokesperson for the strike said in the video.
In an Instagram post from 11:18 a.m., the Princeton Palestine Liberation Coalition, Seminarians for Palestine, and Princeton Students for Justice in Palestine invited Princeton students and those a part of the Princeton Theological Seminary to join them, and attached a form to fill out if they choose to do so.
In February, students at Brown University participated in a hunger strike in support of divestment that lasted for eight days. 17 students were a part of the strike as of the last day.
Also in February, eight students at Dartmouth College participated in a hunger that lasted 12 days. Six out of eight students ended their strike after one week.
Around 9:45 a.m., the Princeton Pride Alliance Executive Board released a statement on Instagram “in solidarity with the people of Palestine and our fellow student activists who have been fighting for human rights.”
“We hope that Princeton’s alleged commitment to free speech will manifest as a means of allowing change, rather than as an excuse to silence marginalized voices,” it reads.
“We are not the University’s enemies. We are the University–and so is our dissent,” it continues.
The statement encouraged people to join the sit-in, but acknowledged that it may not be feasible for everyone “for a variety of reasons,” and wrote that “all contributions to the movement are valuable, appreciated, and should be celebrated.”
Princeton Caribbean Connection and Pride Alliance Release Statements — May 3, 8:36 a.m.
At 8:01 a.m., members of the Princeton Caribbean Connection (PCC) board condemn the arrests and suspensions of protesters who occupied Clio Hall, “for their peaceful demonstration of free speech, including a student of Caribbean identity, Kristal Grant ‘24.”
They also criticize the closure of Morrison Hall, which, “Served as one of the only spaces on campus in which academic inquiry and scholarship on the Caribbean take place, as it hosts a limited range of Caribbean courses, faculty, and many students of Caribbean identity occupy this space daily.”
Prox access to enter Morrison Hall is now available to students.
The letter concludes with requests for the University to drop charges against protesters, discuss divest from Israel, and, “Reconsider its mischaracterization of peaceful protestors that play into racist stereotypes of Black and Brown students.” PCC is one of the first groups to directly call for divestment.
At the same time, the Princeton Pride Alliance Executive Board released a statement criticizing the University’s response to protesters and calling for the reinstatement of arrested protesters.
The group condemned the University’s refusal to divest.
They wrote, “The University must fully empower and legitimize students' freedom of speech and assembly, something Princeton also claims to pride itself on protecting. We hope that Princeton’s alleged commitment to free speech will manifest as a means of allowing change, rather than as an excuse to silence marginalized voices.”
The statement concluded with, “We are not the University’s enemies. We are the University– and so is our dissent.”
Early start at Cannon Green — May 3, 7:41 a.m.
Around 10 protesters tend to encampment as facilities workers drive past Cannon Green. Organizers walked around cleaning up the space at around 6 a.m. It will be colder today, with a high of 65 and low of 48, though it will remain partly cloudy throughout the day. This Sunday, it is expected to rain heavily for the first time since the sit-in’s relocation to Cannon Green, which lacks the cover present at the former McCosh location.
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