Pro-Palestinian encampment grows as protesters push for Johns Hopkins University to divest from Israel

BALTIMORE - An encampment supporting Palestine during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war expanded Wednesday on Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus. 

In an area known as "the beach," protesters set up additional tents in what's being referred to as a "liberated zone" of the "JHU Palestine Solidarity Encampment" for people to camp on campus overnight. 

Why the protests?

The Hopkins Justice Collective, among other organizations, has taken responsibility for leading the charge in calling on the university administration to divest from Israel as the death toll in Gaza rises, according to the Health Ministry. 

Among some of the demands being made by the group, Hopkins is being pressured to cut ties with Tel-Aviv University in Israel, where a two-year Master of Arts program partnership was established in recent years.  

"We're here really in support of the students and in support of what they're fighting for and really to say that workers and unions and community groups stand in solidarity with the Johns Hopkins encampment," one non-affiliated protester said. 

Who is attending?

Protesters are made up not just of students, but also community members, including families who brought children and pets to the encampment. 

Staying peaceful

Unlike protests across the country on major university campuses, the demonstration in Baltimore has remained peaceful and has yielded no reported violent clashes or arrests. 

On social media, Hopkins Justice Collective stated antisemitism and anti-Palestinian sentiments will not be tolerated. 

'Unsettling protest'

A woman who identifies as an Israeli student called the protest "unsettling."

"Why don't they call for something that will be practical and will help people," she said. "When someone compares me to Nazi and tell other people not talk with me, I think that it crosses the line from free speech to a point that we cannot afford anymore."

Protesters attempt to cover WJZ camera

Protesters have been told not to speak with journalists and refer those with inquiries, including WJZ, to a "press table" where people are "trained" to speak with the media. 

While filming a speech, two protesters came up to a WJZ photojournalist and covered the camera equipment in an attempt to stop recording.

However, a member of the group's "de-escalation" team told the pair of protesters to leave the photojournalist alone. 

WJZ's request for an updated statement on Wednesday about the status of the demonstration has gone unanswered by the "press" team at the demonstration site.

Johns Hopkins says agreement not held up by protesters

Meanwhile, the university stated Tuesday that school leaders and organizers came to an agreement about continuing the peaceful protest under certain circumstances:

"Our conversations were frank and constructive, and we are pleased to report that we reached an agreement early this morning to support the students' continuing protest. Our students agreed to dismantle the tents and other structures they set up and to refrain from assembling on the campus overnight between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. This will ensure our students' safety and reduce the level of disruption to the university, particularly as we head into final exams and commencement ceremonies. We, in turn, agreed to support our students' ability to return to a designated area on the Beach each day to continue their daytime protest activities as is permissible under university policy."

In a separate statement Tuesday, a university spokesperson followed up with an update in part writing:

"Unfortunately, the protesters have not held up their end of the agreement.

 We are extremely concerned about the health, safety and welfare of students involved in the protest who have chosen to encamp, as well as others in our community. Encampments draw in people unaffiliated with the university who may not have the best interests of our community at heart. Protesters who conceal their identities through face coverings and pseudonyms dramatically impair the university's capacity to maintain the safety of our community members, and as we have seen at allied protests across the country, circumstances like these have led to confrontation and escalation.

 Affiliated and unaffiliated protesters are in violation of our policies and/or are trespassing. We are still prepared to support a peaceful protest during the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., but students who engage in protest outside of these hours will face disciplinary action."

WJZ made a request with the university on Wednesday to confirm whether any students are currently facing academic discipline in connection to the protest. Our request is still being processed.

'We are not going anywhere'

The Hopkins Justice Collective sent a statement to WJZ earlier, which states in part:

"We are making the message clear: we are not going anywhere until our demands are met. Hopkins students and community members are steadfast in their solidarity to hold the encampment and demand divestment."

Police not planning arrests, shutdown

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Police Department's helicopter continues to make passes over the university. 

In a statement, the agency stated:

We are monitoring the situation, and have been in contact with university officials. We communicated to them that the City of Baltimore strongly stands with every person's First Amendment rights. Barring any credible threat of violence or similarly high threshold to protect general public safety, BPD currently has no plans to engage solely to shut down this valid protest or remove protestors.