The campus pro-Palestine anti-Israel protest movement in the United States has spread to New Jersey. Just this Monday (April 29), students at Rutgers University in New Jersey followed the lead of Columbia University and Harvard University students by setting up tents on campus to protest. At Princeton University on Monday night, 13 protesters were arrested for forcibly entering a school building.
The protesters at Rutgers University set up tents on the New Brunswick campus, creating a “Liberated Zone” to protest against Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip and demanding that Rutgers University sever financial ties with Israel.
According to the New Jersey Monitor, after a rally supporting Palestine that attracted over a thousand students, dozens of green and white tents appeared on the College Ave campus, with a white flag bearing red letters that read “Liberated Zone.”
A video reposted from user @scooterCasterNY on X platform showed students using megaphones to speak. Students at the camp called for Rutgers University to divest from any financial assets related to Israel, including its partnership with Tel Aviv University.
The protest was organized collectively by a student group at Rutgers University called “Supporting Palestinian Justice.” A student organizer who declined to be named for fear of retaliation from the school said, “This is a very peaceful movement. It is meant for education and organization, but it also means disruption. We plan on disrupting this campus until we get a response from the administration and our demands are met.”
Reports from the New Jersey Monitor indicated that there were hardly any police present at Rutgers University’s “Liberated Zone” on Monday afternoon. Students played music, unloaded food and water from cars, prepared for final exams, and made signs for the camp area. Protesters continued to arrive.
The student organizers stated that they would remain on the lawn in front of the Voorhees Mall on the New Brunswick campus until Rutgers University met their demands. They emphasized that they wanted the camp to remain peaceful.
Rutgers University officials stated that Chancellor Jonathan Holloway did not directly oversee any investments in Israel but explicitly expressed personal opposition to movements that call for boycotts, divestments, and sanctions against Israel, reaffirming support for the collaboration with Tel Aviv University.
In a letter to students on Monday, Holloway said, “Our students want to play a role in the struggle that has taken too many innocent lives and threatens even more. I respect their right to protest, but it must not disrupt the university’s operation or the students’ learning.”
This is the second university in New Jersey where students have set up tents on campus to engage in anti-Israel activities.
Last Thursday (April 25), students at Princeton University erected tents in the campus center, but after two graduate students were arrested, the students removed the tents, and the camp turned into lectures and sit-in activities.
On Monday (April 29), a group of students escalated their protest activities, defying the school’s injunction, briefly occupying Clio Hall. Subsequently, five undergraduates, six graduates, one postdoctoral research fellow, and one non-campus affiliate were arrested by the police for trespassing. The arrested students were barred from entering the campus and face penalties including suspension or expulsion.
Princeton University officials deemed the occupation of the school building “completely unacceptable” and stated that they would not request prosecutors to drop the charges against these students.
As of Wednesday (May 1), protesters had gathered on the lawn in front of Clio Hall for a week. While there were no tents, some protesters chose to stay overnight on the lawn. Food and water were provided on long tables, and campus security guards were present around the protest site.
Amid these seemingly spontaneous movements on campuses across the United States, some netizens questioned whether there was manipulation behind the scenes. User @CuseConnection on X platform posted, “Same masks, same tents, too strange, too organized!”
There are also netizens questioning the communist nature of the “Liberated Zone.” User @Stmckay04 asked, “Liberated Zone? Freed from where?”