The day before the protest, Yalies4Palestine “were warned that further violations would jeopardize the group’s privileges,” the university stated.
By Mike Wagenheim, JNS
Yale College, the undergraduate branch of Yale University, withdrew the registered status of an anti-Israel student group on Wednesday for its part in an unapproved protest the night before, drawing a university investigation for what it says were “disturbing antisemitic conduct at the gathering.”
While the university acknowledged that the protest was not directly affiliated with any student organization, it cited in a press release efforts by Yalies4Palestine to encourage people to join the event through social media posts, as well as the group “taking credit” for it in a public statement.
“This occurred only one day after Yalies4Palestine had met with Yale College officials to discuss recent policy violations and were warned that further violations would jeopardize the group’s privileges,” the university wrote in the statement. “Because Yalies4Palestine has flagrantly violated the rules to which the Yale College Dean’s Office holds all registered student organizations, Yale College today notified Yalies4Palestine that the College is withdrawing its status as a registered student organization.”
Yalies4Palestine has already been removed from a public database of Yale student clubs. The revocation means that the group cannot reserve spaces on campus, request university funding, use the Yale name or partake in several other privileges.
During the protest, the university said staff identified students who had been “warned or disciplined” for prior infractions of university policies. On Wednesday, Yale stated that it had informed those students that “immediate” disciplinary action would be taken against them.
The actions against specific students were not detailed, but Yale stated that they could face reprimand, probation, suspension and expulsion, as well as the involvement of law enforcement.
A collection of anti-Israel protest groups released a statement claiming Yale capitulated to the Trump administration to avoid penalties incurred by other universities for failing to curb and take action against antisemitism.
The protest was directed at an event at Yale’s Jewish society, Shabtai, on Wednesday, which featured Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir. A video taken at the protest and posted by a Jewish student shows a chain of protesters blocking the student’s path.
Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division, reposted a tweet from the student, writing, “DOJ @CivilRights is tracking the concerning activities at Yale and is in touch with affected students.”