Pro-Palestinian encampments continue at Tufts, MIT, and Harvard as administrators push for

The college encampments in the Boston area and across New England are part of a national wave of student protests against the Israel-Hamas war.

Some demonstrators have said they don’t plan to break down the encampments until their school leaders meet their demands to condemn the rising death toll in Gaza and, in some cases, divest from financial ties to Israel, even as university leaders continue to apply pressure for the encampments to end.

A group of counterprotesters arrived at the MIT encampment early Monday afternoon, some carrying Israeli and American flags. No conflicts immediately arose as the two sides maintained civility.

Meanwhile at Harvard, university administrators sent emailed letters to more than 30 undergraduates involved in the pro-Palestinian encampment there, requesting that they appear before the Harvard College Administrative Board, the university’s disciplinary committee.

The administrative move, first reported by the Harvard Crimson, comes after days of repeated threats of disciplinary action against pro-Palestinian student protestors in the form of emails, impromptu identification card checks, and paper slips handed to protestors at the campsite. The outcomes of the administrative board meetings, which will take place in the coming days, will reveal how strictly Harvard is willing to punish students for students’ participation in the protests.

One protester who was arrested at Northeastern University last Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing in a university building appeared Boston Municipal Court in Roxbury on Monday.

Kyler Shinkle-Stolar, a fourth-year student who was on leave at the time of his arrest, was ordered by the court to complete 20 hours of community service and is allowed to enter Northeastern property only for “official business.” His attorney, Carl Williams of the National Lawyers Guild, said Shinkle-Stolar is five credits away from graduating.

As Shinkle-Stolar exited the courtroom, he was met by a swarm of fellow Northeastern students who embraced him and let out cheers at the news of the court’s decision. A Northeastern spokesperson said Shinkle-Stolar is “not currently enrolled and had an active trespass when he was arrested.”

More than 200 people were arrested or detained as police cleared encampments at Emerson College early on Thursday and at Northeastern University on Saturday.

Northeastern officials said any protesters who produced a valid university ID were released and “will face disciplinary proceedings within the university, not legal action.” It was not immediately clear how many Northeastern demonstrators possessed a university ID and were released.

Emerson College president Jay Bernhardt said in a statement Sunday that the college will not bring disciplinary action against the student protesters and “will encourage the district attorney not to pursue charges related to encampment violations.” It was not immediately clear when the arrested demonstrators, some of whom are not Emerson students, are expected to be arraigned, though some have said they have court dates in Boston this week.

Protests were still active at a number of campuses across the country. Near George Washington University, protesters at an encampment breached and dismantled the barriers Monday morning used to secure University Yard, the university said in a statement. The yard had been closed since last week.

At Columbia University, the site of the first protests, dialogue since last week between academic leaders and student organizers to dismantle encampments has not progressed, the university president said Monday. Protesters at Yale University set up a new encampment with dozens of tents Sunday afternoon, nearly a week after police arrested nearly 50 demonstrators and cleared a similar camp.

At least one school, the University of Southern California, canceled its main graduation ceremony this spring. Others are asking the protests to resolve peacefully so they can hold their ceremonies.

Students at the MIT encampment said they have held multiple meetings with university administrators but the negotiations have not yet produced a clear resolution. Shara Bhuiyan, a fourth-year MIT undergraduate, said negotiations with MIT administration are “still going on, so we can’t give much detail.”

“We’ll be here as long as we need to be here until our demands are met,” Bhuiyan said in an interview at the encampment on Kresge Lawn early Monday morning. “We’re not going anywhere.”

MIT president Sally Kornbluth said in a video statement Saturday that the encampment “needs to end soon,” but the number of tents appeared to have grown from Sunday to Monday morning, and the demonstrators adorned the metal fencing surrounding the encampment with painted cardboard signs and roses in water bottles.

An MIT spokesperson did not directly address the status of the negotiations when asked for comment but said the university’s “emphasis is on a thoughtful and safe pathway toward resolution.”

“As we’ve shared, the student demonstration on an MIT lawn has the full attention of leadership, who have been meeting and talking with students, faculty, and staff on an ongoing basis, including over the weekend,” the spokesperson, Kimberly Allen, said in an email Monday. “MIT remains focused on ensuring the campus is physically safe and fully functioning while working toward a positive outcome.”

Some MIT students were seen working on computers at tables under a canopy tents in the center of the camp. Tables were also stockpiled with food and decorated with flowers. Nearby, a few MIT police officers stood outside the metal barriers set up around the encampment.

A group of counterprotesters arrived at Kresge Lawn on Monday and settled in the middle of the encampment. As the group of Israel supporters, including both students and faculty, began singing, pro-Palestinian protesters continued painting signs, eating lunch, and working on computers. The two groups appeared to maintain civility.

Yoki Miliard, a graduate student at the encampment, said counterprotestors have demonstrated at the encampment before. Miliard said the encampment protesters try not to “pay them any mind.”

A counterprotester who said he is an MIT community member, but declined to share his name, said he hopes MIT’s administration will “enforce the rules and not let it escalate even further.”

“We hope that administration would find a way to peacefully take it down,” he said.

Some counterprotesters began asking students at the encampment if they condemn Hamas and the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The Pro-Palestinian demonstrators did not respond, but continued painting a sign that read Jews for Palestine while eating lunch and banging drumsticks on empty orange Home Depot bins.

Shortly after the counterprotesters stepped out of the encampment and stood off to the side of Kresge Lawn, the pro-Palestinian demonstrators began dancing and chanting “Free Palestine.”

At Tufts, university spokesperson Patrick Collins said the situation was “unchanged” as of Monday morning.

“We have informed the campus community that the encampment needs to come to an end so we can prepare for Commencement. There is nothing new beyond that community message at this time,” Collins said Monday.

Protesters at Tufts declined to comment Monday but offered a brief statement, spoken by one organizer who identified himself as the press contact. “All eyes on Gaza. We won’t back down,” he said.

It was quiet and peaceful Monday at the Tufts encampment, which was set up in front of Ballou Hall and near the life-size bronze statue of Jumbo, the university’s beloved elephant mascot.

The red brick walls on the exterior of Ballou Hall were marked up with phrases written in colored chalk, including “BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS” and “DIVEST NOW.”

The encampment had remained about the same size since Sunday, with over a dozen tents clustered on the academic quad. On Monday one group of students was assembling a dome tent. Under a popup tent was a Palestinian flag hanging from a table stocked with apples, oranges and other refreshments.

There were no signs that the encampment was going anywhere soon. In fact, just the opposite: tufts SJP posted an announcement on Instagram inviting others to join the demonstration.

“We are in need of all support over the coming two weeks as we defend our Gaza Solidarity Encampment against tufts admin escalation,” the group said on Instagram. “Come prepared to stay for long periods of time, there is safety in numbers. We keep us safe.”

At Harvard University, officials restricted access to Harvard Yard indefinitely, as an encampment went up there last week. Only people with university identification cards may enter the yard, a school spokesperson said Saturday in an email.

The Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine coalition wrote on Instagram on Monday morning that “we need as many people rallying at camp ASAP and staying throughout the day in anticipation of admin’s arrival.”

In the post, the coalition acknowledged receipt of the administrative letters calling for 30 undergraduates involved in the encampment to appear before Harvard’s disciplinary committee, but the group said it was undeterred in its commitment to protesting: “They can try to discipline us, but they can’t suspend the movement.”

Still, around 1 p.m. Monday, it was a quiet scene at the over 40 tent-strong encampment, now in its sixth day. Protestors milled around the campsite or sat on the steps of University Hall as a light rain began to fall.

Protesters raised three Palestinian flags over the John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard on Saturday night, according to the Crimson. Images of the flag-raising drew anger online, including from the Republican governor of Texas.

The flags were eventually removed by Harvard facilities workers, a Harvard spokesperson said.

“The actions are a violation of University policy and the individuals involved will be subject to disciplinary action,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the Globe.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com. Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22. Sarah Ryley can be reached at sarah.ryley@globe.com. Follow her @MissRyley. Alexa Coultoff can be reached at alexa.coultoff@globe.com. Follow her @alexacoultoff. Madeline Khaw can be reached at maddie.khaw@globe.com. Follow her @maddiekhaw. Maliya Ellis can be reached at maliya.ellis@globe.com. Follow her @EllisMaliya.