At 11:19 a.m. on Wednesday, May 1, a student sent a message to a group chat called “Black Princeton” — a GroupMe chat with almost 1,000 members — requesting video footage from the occupation of Clio Hall on Monday, April 29 by pro-Palestinan protesters. Less than half an hour later, Abigail Anthony ’23, a reporter for the conservative news outlet The National Review, posted a screenshot of the message on X.
As of time of publication, the post has over one million views. The Black Princeton group chat has been deleted in the aftermath.
“Our lawyer says that these [videos] are desperately needed,” the original message stated.
Soon after the message was leaked, Anthony posted additional screenshots showing reactions to the leak in the group chat, including one student suggesting that chat admins begin a new chat with a more restrictive protocol for joining.
The student who sent the original message, Kennedy Primus ’24, wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian that her message “was a response to misinformation about the Princeton Gaza Solidarity Encampment and the events on Monday.”
Conflicting accounts about the sit-in at Clio Hall have painted varying pictures of the events in the days following. While Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun called the involved protesters “dangerous” and “abusive,” Professor of African American Studies Ruha Benjamin, who witnessed the occupation, said it was a peaceful protest, writing in a statement that “Without bearing witness, VP Calhoun wrote about the peaceful sit-in in a misleading and even inflammatory way.”
“The Princeton University administration has shown utter disregard for the community’s calls for solidarity with Palestine,” Primus wrote. “University administration and police collaborate to snuff out pro-Palestinian activists.”
Anthony wrote in a message to the ‘Prince’ that multiple current students sent her the screenshots. She declined to explain why she posted the screenshots, particularly with the students’ names displayed. On Thursday morning, she posted additional screenshots from an earlier date originally circulated by an anonymous Reddit user.
Princeton’s Black Student Union (BSU), though not directly involved with the administration of the Black Princeton group chat, provided the ‘Prince’ with a written statement.
“The Black Student Union is outraged and disheartened that members of our community were endangered with these posts,” the BSU’s board wrote. “While ideological differences exist within the community, it is imperative that we take action to protect members regardless of their views.”
According to the BSU, in response to the leak, chat admins removed “anyone National Review journalist [Anthony] was connected to on social media.”
Around 2:30 p.m. The Princeton Tory, a conservative campus publication, posted on X that two of their writers “have been removed from a group chat for Princeton Black students solely because of their connections to Tory alum Abigail Anthony ’23.”
The Tory deleted the post soon after and posted a new version without the two students’ names. Editor-in-Chief of the Tory Benjamin Woodard ’25 wrote in a message to the ‘Prince’ that, “The Tory originally based its coverage on the leaked messages in Abigail Anthony’s tweet, and included the specific names of the Tory writers involved. Out of respect to our writers and their privacy during this charged time on campus, we uploaded a new tweet without their names.”
Shortly after Anthony leaked the second of round messages with those members removed, the Black Princeton group chat was deleted around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
“It became quickly evident that removing individuals was not the correct course of action, therefore in the best interest of everyone in the group chat, it was deleted,” the BSU’s board explained.
Bétel Tenna ’25, a student who suggested creating a new group chat in one of Anthony’s screenshots, wrote to the ‘Prince’ that in light of the leak, “I do find it concerning that many people now don’t feel safe to speak openly.” She also pointed out that the original group chat had nearly 1,000 people and that there was no verification process for any individual to join.
Primus also wrote to the ‘Prince,’ “I am appalled that the [U]niversity has not only failed to protect students facing doxxing and racist harrassment, but they have institutionally legitimized and reinforced it.”
The BSU board called on the University to protect those involved, writing, “the University has a responsibility to protect its students in incidents such as these, and we hope the administration takes this responsibility seriously.”
In a statement to the ‘Prince,’ University Spokesperson Jennifer Morrill wrote, “When we receive reports that an individual’s personal identifying information has been shared publicly, we advise the individual on how to secure their personal information on the campus directory and other platforms. We also work with appropriate offices to make them aware of the situation and coordinate additional response [sic] if any harassment occurs.”
“The Black Princeton chat has become a cultural institution within our community, existing for years with students and alumni alike,” the BSU wrote. “The deletion of the chat is a great loss to the community, but we are focused on the safety of all of our students first and foremost.”
“I hope that whoever is responsible for the leaks can feel remorse about this and have a desire to rebuild our community too despite any politics or other beliefs,” Tenna wrote to the ‘Prince.’
Editor’s note: Managing Editor for the ‘Prince’ Naisha Sylvestre has recused herself from the editing and publication process of this piece. She currently serves as the co-President of the Black Student Union (BSU).
Annie Rupertus is a head News editor for the ‘Prince’ from Philadelphia, Pa. who often covers activism and campus governance.
Christopher Bao is an assistant News editor and the accessibility director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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