Washington, MINA – Around 200 students at Yale University staged an overnight encampment on Tuesday in protest against a planned visit by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Palestine Chronicle reported.
The demonstration took place at Beinecke Plaza and drew criticism and warnings from university officials due to policy violations.
Protesters began gathering around 8 PM, and by 9:30 PM, eight tents had been erected. A protest leader announced, “We’re here, and we’re staying the night,” according to Yale Daily News. However, the encampment was dismantled before 11:30 PM due to threats of disciplinary retribution from the administration.
Yale officials cited policies that prohibit objects like tents on campus without written permission and mandate that events end by 11 PM on weeknights. University staff distributed cards with QR codes linking to free expression guidelines, warning that disciplinary action or arrest could follow. Protesters responded by chanting, “Do not scan the QR code.”
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The demonstration occurred ahead of Ben-Gvir’s planned talk at Shabtai, a Jewish student society not formally affiliated with Yale. Schmully Hecht, the group’s leader, invited Ben-Gvir, stating that unapologetic events like this help keep Yale a safe space for Jews amid what he called a “toxic Ivy community of extremism.”
The protest was organized by an autonomous group of students and was unaffiliated with the Sumud Coalition, which includes pro-Palestinian campus groups such as Yalies4Palestine, Yale Jews for Collective Liberation in Palestine, and the Endowment Justice Collective.
Ben-Gvir’s visit to the U.S. marks his first official trip, with appearances scheduled in New Haven and New York. On Tuesday, he attended a dinner at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. In a post on X, Ben-Gvir claimed that U.S. Republican leaders expressed support for his call to bomb food and aid depots in Gaza to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages.
There was no immediate response from the Republican Party regarding the controversial statement. []
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