Northwestern Deal With Protesters Draws Criticism

For five days, the shouts of student protesters and supporters rang out from Northwestern University's Deering Meadow as they joined demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war unfolding on college campuses nationwide. But the meadow on the suburban Chicago campus fell silent hours after student organizers and the school announced an agreement late Monday to curb protest activity in return for the reestablishment of an advisory committee on university investments and other commitments, per the AP. By Tuesday, only two unoccupied tents remained, surrounded by abandoned folding chairs, cases of bottled water, and other supplies.

By quickly defusing the protests in Evanston and avoiding the longer standoffs that happened on other campuses, the agreement at Northwestern offered an example of successful negotiations between demonstrators and administrators. Brown University announced a similar deal on Tuesday, while administrators at Johns Hopkins University focused talks on limiting protests to daytime hours. Still, the arrangement drew dissent from both sides, the AP reports. Some who are protesting the war in Gaza condemned the Northwestern agreement as a failure to stick to the original demands of student organizers. Some supporters of Israel said the deal represented "cowardly" capitulation to protesters.

The American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League Midwest criticized the university, saying the deal "succumbed to the demands of a mob" and did little to make Jewish students on campus feel more secure. The pact also prevents people without ties to Northwestern from participating, according to copies made public. The agreement lets protests continue through June 1 but bars all tents except one for aid supplies. Northwestern said the terms include penalties for students who fail to comply, including suspension. At some universities, police have made arrests; elsewhere, campus leaders have sought to negotiate while allowing protests to continue. "This agreement represents a sustainable and de-escalated path forward, and enhances the safety of all members of the Northwestern community while providing space for free expression that complies with University rules and policies," said a statement from administrators.

(More 2024 campus protests stories.)