The University said in a campus-wide email on Monday that attendees at campus events would only receive a single warning not to disrupt speakers, a change to enforcement of its free speech policies following interruptions at several events in the past several weeks.
The move follows an April 8 speaker event with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that was interrupted on at least three occasions. Some in attendance at the event were upset that a community member, Sayel Kayed, who took part in the disruptions, was not removed fast enough. Kayed shouted at Bennett for two minutes before exiting the building followed by Public Safety (PSafe) officers, a free speech coordinator, and Dean Jarrett Fisher, who often handles free speech-related events. The disruption drew national media attention, including criticism the Wall Street Journal editorial board.
“Recent disruptions have caused us to consider how we might improve enforcement of our rules to minimize disruption,” the email, signed by Provost Jennifer Rexford and Executive Vice President Katie Callow-Wright. “Going forward, attendees at University events should expect a single warning not to disrupt an event or prevent an invited guest from speaking. Disruptive behavior may result in immediate removal from the event and disciplinary action or other consequences.”
Following the event, University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 said the University was investigating the interruptions — which also included the triggering of a fire alarm — and that he had personally apologized to Bennett. Eisgruber was notably not among the signatories of Monday’s email.
This email comes amid increased scrutiny on internal disciplinary practices among peer universities from the Trump administration. Last week, for instance, Harvard University received demands to change its disciplinary processes and retroactively discipline students involved in several specific pro-Palestine protests, among other changes. These demands culminated in a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration by Harvard on Monday afternoon.
While shouting down speakers has been rare on Princeton’s campus, several events other than Bennett’s were interrupted recently.
On April 15, an event hosted by the Alexander Hamilton Society featuring Daniel Fata, a national security consultant and former executive at Lockheed Martin, was disrupted by several protestors. One protester walked around the room playing music, and several minutes passed before he was removed, despite being warned several times by free speech officers to stop interrupting.
In one exchange, a protester interrupted to tell Fata, “you are literally responsible for all these people dying,” referring to F-35 weapons sold to Israel from Lockheed Martin. Fata responded “Lockheed doesn’t pull the triggers,” and later insisted that a decision to stop supplying weapons was above his pay grade.
The email from Callow-Wright and Rexford also asked students, faculty, and others to review protests.princeton.edu, a website compiling the University’s regulations around protests and free expression.
“The Princeton University community has distinguished itself by generally navigating a period of contentious public debates with civility, consideration for others, and respect for rules that protect everyone’s right to hear and be heard. Thank you for making Princeton a model of pluralism, tolerance, and constructive conversations,” they wrote.
The new policy comes a day before another high-profile visit from a figure in Israeli politics. B’Artzeinu Princeton is set to host Dr. Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, for a talk titled “The Demonization of Israel and the Rise of Antisemitism. The location of the event was deliberately omitted from public advertising, likely due to anticipated protest activity. The event will also have increased security. Attendees must sign-up prior to the event, all attendees must present a University ID at the entrance, and no bags will be permitted.
Princeton’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has already announced a protest against Leiter’s appearance, set to take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, outside Nassau Hall.
Devon Rudolph is an associate News editor and staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’ She is from northern Virginia and typically covers student life and USG.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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