April 29 (UPI) — A pro-Palestinian encampment erected on the campus of Tufts University “must end,” the school said, calling on protesters to remove it “peacefully and voluntarily.”
The Massachusetts school made the announcement Sunday, as universities throughout the country are confronted by pro-Palestinian protests sparked by Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Tufts said in a statement that Student Life staff will be reaching out to the protesters Monday morning to plan the dismantling of the encampment over the next few days, stating its presence has already delayed preparations for commencement and that it must be removed for those activities to begin.
“The class of 2024 deserves to be celebrated,” it said. “Commencement is the moment to celebrate their accomplishments with their family and friends and for us to honor their achievements as a community.”
Their has been a pro-Palestinian protest presence at the university since the war began in early October, and the university said is has “balanced” the students’ right to protest with conduct policies, and those who have been sanctioned either violated those policies or interfered with the university’s operations.
It added that protesters, including some not affiliated with Tufts, have created conditions that have attracted complaints and that while much of a demonstration held on Friday was peaceful, “there were many actions that violated university policies.”
“Demonstrators entered a classroom, blocked paths and defaced, stickered and scrawled obscene language on buildings throughout the campus,” it said.
Complaints of harassment, intimidation and disruption as well as for aggressive tactics were also received by the school over the weekend, it added.
Tufts continued that it has tried to maintain lines of communications with the protesters. It said they had a meeting held following Friday’s protest, the contents of which will not be made available until after the quad is cleared.
“Their request, which includes a threat to continue disruption, only comes after they have escalated their actions, caused intentional and malicious harm to our community and campus, broken multiple university policies and, most importantly, violated the values and norms of the institution,” it said.
“The protesters’ actions increasingly come at the expense of their fellow students’ rights and a meeting cannot be a reward for such behavior.”
Tufts is one of several universities confronting pro-Palestinian protests, some of which have been marked by arrests.
So-called Gaza Solidarity Encampments have been erected on the campuses of New York University, Emerson College, Columbia and others.