A group of over 200 Yale students staged an overnight protest on Beinecke Plaza Tuesday evening, erecting tents in opposition to a Wednesday appearance by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at Shabtai, a private Jewish society unaffiliated with the university.
The protest began at 6 p.m. (2200GMT) with around 25 students wearing ribbons and listening to musical performances, according to Yale Daily News.
The crowd quickly swelled, and by 9.30 p.m. (0130GMT), eight tents had been set up in defiance of university rules prohibiting unauthorized structures.
“We’re here, and we’re staying the night,” declared a protest organizer through a megaphone.
-‘YALE’S SILENCE ABOUT IT’
Ben-Gvir, a polarizing figure in Israeli politics, is on his first visit to the US, with scheduled appearances in New Haven and New York.
According to the student newspaper, his host, Shabtai founder and real estate developer Shmully Hecht, defended the invitation, writing: “At a personal level I believe it is specifically unapologetic events such as this one that has preserved Yale as a more moderate safe haven for Jews in the current toxic Ivy community of extremism.”
The protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations at Yale over Israel’s war in Gaza and university ties to military contractors. It also coincides with Bulldogs Days, Yale’s major welcome event for over 1,300 admitted students.
Assistant Vice President for University Life Pilar Montalvo visited the protest twice but declined to comment.
Around 10 p.m. (0200GMT), she and a Free Expression Facilitator handed out cards warning students that they were violating campus rules and risked disciplinary action or arrest.
The cards contained QR codes linking to Yale’s free expression policies. Protesters responded by chanting: “Do not scan the QR code.”
A spokesperson for the Sumud Coalition, a campus pro-Palestinian group, said the action was “an autonomous group of students who object to Ben-Gvir’s presence and Yale’s silence about it.”
The group clarified that the encampment was unaffiliated with their coalition, which includes Yalies4Palestine and Jews for Ceasefire.
As tensions simmered, at least eight Yale police officers and several public safety officials monitored the plaza, while counter-protesters circled and filmed the demonstration.