Princeton U Students End Hunger Strike, Clear Encampment

(This story has been updated Wednesday, 1:30 p.m.)

PRINCETON, NJ — Pro-Gaza Princeton University students officially ended their hunger strike on Wednesday and announced they will clear the encampment Thursday.

This comes two days after University President Christopher Eisgruber asked protestors to clear the encampment to prepare for upcoming events.

The encampment was first established on April 25. Wednesday is the last of the encampment, student protestors said

"Three weeks after its establishment, the Princeton Gaza Solidarity Encampment is open for its last day on May 15, 2024 — 222 days since Israel escalated its genocide in Gaza and a week into its invasion of Rafah. Our fight for divestment and Palestinian liberation continues undeterred," according to a statement from Princeton Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

"After refusing to meaningfully engage with us, President Eisgruber and university administration stepped up its intimidation, pressuring the camp to close yesterday, the day before Nakba Day. Today, we hold our space to mourn the Nakba of 76 years and honor Palestinian political and cultural resistance, including our small role in it."

Earlier on Wednesday, students called off their hunger strike. Fourteen students began their hunger strike on May 3, in solidarity with Palestinians.

The hunger strikers said they decided to call off the hunger strike after the University opened dialogue with protesting students.

"Following continuous pressure from the hunger strike and protestors, the administration met with representatives of the encampment to discuss the demands for divestment, disclosure and amnesty. Although President Eisgruber and his team of administrators did not engage us in good faith, referring us to existing and previously failed processes that ignored the urgency of the situation in Gaza, dialogue has begun,” a hunger striker said Wednesday morning.

“We have brought the collective spirit and struggle of the Palestinian people to the forefront of every Princetonian’s mind. While there is still much progress to be made, these steps have moved us closer to our goal of the liberation of Palestine. Given these advancements toward our goals, we are announcing the end of our hunger strike.”

Protesters have been holding a sit-in since April 25, demanding the University divest from companies that are profiting from the Israel-Hamas war. They are calling for “an immediate and permanent ceasefire, a condemnation of Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians,” and that the university “refrain from association from Israeli academic institutions and businesses,” while cultivating relationships with Palestinian institutions.

Last week over a dozen faculty members joined the students, committing to a solidarity fast.

Demonstrators said they were being pressured into clearing the encampment.

Protesting students also accused the administration of harassing and endangering them.

"We have been doxxed, subjected to racist attacks, and sent death threats. It is the administration and police that has endangered us by surveilling, threatening, and arresting us for protesting a genocide. Public Safety and university administration harassed us at every turn as we cared for the health and safety of our hunger strikers. They cited opaque “structure” codes to prevent hunger strikers from sheltering during pouring rain, while the university falsely claimed to monitor their health," the students said.

"We reject the university’s attempts to deradicalize and divide us through endless processes, meetings, and committees. Our demands remain the same — with or without an encampment. Our movement is not tied to any one place, but to the community of organizers who have been fighting apartheid and calling for divestment for over fifty years. The student intifada is here, and it is here to stay."

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