Meg Little Reilly of the University of Vermont in Forbes, April 30, 2024, urges universities to refrain from extreme actions to curtail pro-Palestinian protests. Over 1,000 protesters have been arrested forcefully. “Responses to students should be tailored to match the energy level and actions of the crowd,” writes Reilly, “If a few individuals are behaving in a dangerous or threatening manner, broad action should not be taken against the crowd when those individuals can be handled directly. Peaceful protests should not be met with aggression.”
An editorial in The Washington Post, April 29, 2024, says the anti-Semiticism expressed by by a small number of protesters should be a cause of concern to the protest leaders even if the anti-Semitic speech is protected by the First Amendment. Princeton was able to convinced students to remove tents in public areas that violated school rules while the president affirmed the university’s policy in support of the right to protest. He said the policy is “to promote a lively and fearless freedom of debate and deliberation, not simply to maximize expression in all its forms, no matter how disruptive. Dialogue, debate, and deliberation depend upon maintaining a campus that is free from intimidation, obstruction, risks to physical safety, or other impediments to the University’s scholarship, research, and teaching missions.”