Johns Hopkins University and protesters occupying a pro-Palestinian encampment on the Homewood campus have reached an agreement to immediately end the demonstration.
In exchange for dismantling the encampment and not restarting it, Hopkins will conduct a “timely review of the key issue of protester divestment,” according to the University of Baltimore in a press release Sunday.
Hopkins Justice Collective, the group leading the protests, said in its own Sunday press release that Hopkins had committed to expediting by five months the Public Interest Investment Advisory Committee process, a process that predated the within the university for divestment. The board of directors will meet to discuss the PIIAC divestment proposal in March or June 2025.
The university also agreed to end student conduct proceedings related to the encampment, provided there are no further disruptions on campus and excluding any proceedings related to violence, property damage, intimidation or threats, Hopkins’ statement said. However, those who have been identified could have their participation used against them in future disciplinary hearings for future violations of the Student Code of Conduct, according to the HJC release.
Protesters who are not affiliated with the university should leave campus, Hopkins said.
By Sunday afternoon, protesters were on campus, gathering encampment on the campus lawn, known as “the beach.”
The collective called the days-long negotiations a “total victory” but “a step toward Johns Hopkins’ commitment to divest from the settler state of Israel.”
“Hopkins is deeply committed to free speech, but it must be done safely and in a manner that respects university rules and standards,” Hopkins President Ron Daniels said in the release Sunday. “It is my fervent hope that at Hopkins we can together continue to focus on the important work of a university: engaging in dialogue and learning with each other about difficult and complex issues like these.”
The agreement follows failed negotiations between protesters and the university earlier this month. Protesters were given two hours to agree to what the HJC called “weak” demands for divestment from Israel or risk facing disciplinary action from the university.
During six hours of negotiations, trustees proposed considering divestment and shortening the 18-month process it would take.
Protesters continued to occupy the camp and were presented with a letter to sign the next day by administrators. The letter promised not to disrupt the upcoming start of the universities, to leave the camp and not to return. In exchange, the university would not discipline the student protesters in the encampment.
Negotiations ended and demands for divestment from the university, disclosure of all its financial ties to Israel, as well as its lobbying efforts to increase militarized spending and disclosure of the use of military technology developed at Hopkins , were not satisfied. The encampment continued.
The encampment began on April 28, when students pitched their tents on the beach. From the start, protesters said they would not leave unless Hopkins divests its stakes in companies that support Israel, such as BlackRock, Elbit Systems, Northrop Grumman, Palantir, General Dynamic, Lockheed Martin and Google . The Hopkins protests remained peaceful and did not cause major disruptions to the university’s operations.
The movement is a response to the Israeli offensive in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union, killed nearly 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages in the attack. Since then, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local Health Ministry.
Hopkins is one of several schools across the country to hold pro-Palestinian protests in the final weeks of the school year, ranging from simple demonstrations to weeks-long encampments. The activism resulted in the arrest of hundreds of university protesters. Due to protests causing disruptions, Columbia University postponed its commencement.
Towson University in Baltimore County has also been urged by students to divest from Israel, with the school’s student government association passing a resolution Tuesday calling for divestment. The goal of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement is to end international support for Israel and pressure it to comply with international law, according to the movement’s website.
In a statement released Thursday, the Republican Jewish Council of Maryland said it strongly condemned the resolution.
“Passing this BDS resolution will only further isolate Jewish students at the university,” the statement read.
Baltimore Sun photographer Amy Davis contributed to this article.
News Source : www.baltimoresun.com
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