Pro-Palestine protests return to Yale, university gives QR codes to protesters

Around 200 pro-Palestinian student protesters gathered at the heart of Yale University’s campus in Beinecke Plaza on Tuesday night to oppose the upcoming visit of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. In a novel approach, Yale administrators distributed cards containing a QR code to the protesting students. The QR code was linked to the university’s webpage on its policies on free expression.

The protest was against an event hosted by Shabtai, a Jewish society located near Yale but not officially affiliated with the university. So, the Yale students were protesting on campus against an event not being held on the campus.

Yale is a private Ivy League university in New Haven, Connecticut, and was founded in 1701.

The protest at Yale comes even as the Trump administration has cracked down on such agitations, calling them violent and anti-Semitic. Visas of several international students, including some from India, have been cancelled for participating in such protests or for sharing posts.

The card with the QR code distributed by Yale University included a warning that read: “Please stop your current action immediately. If you do not, you may risk university disciplinary action and/or arrest.”

The notice clarified that while students have the right to protest and assemble, they were “now in violation of Yale University policies regarding free expression, peaceable assembly, and/or disruption.” When asked whether the cards served as notices of arrest, a Free Expression Facilitator declined to comment, stating only that they outlined Yale’s policies.

These protests come a year after protests and encampments were seen in Yale and other universities in the US last year. The protests were against Israel’s war against Gaza, after the terror group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and killed over 1,000 people.

‘DO NOT SCAN THE QR CODE’, YALE PROTESTORS CHANT

In response, protesters chanted, “Do not scan the QR code.”

The demonstration began at 6 pm with a group of roughly 25 students weaving ribbons into cloth and listening to live music. By 8 pm, the crowd had grown to 100, forming a circular human chain. After some time, with over 200 demonstrators present, protesters erected four tents, followed by four and then later around eight tents.

“We’re here, and we’re staying the night,” one organiser declared through a megaphone.

Promotional posts and live updates began appearing around 7 pm on the Instagram account @yalepalestineactions, which had been largely inactive since October despite covering pro-Palestinian actions throughout 2024.

Ben-Gvir’s appearance at Shabtai is part of his first US visit, with scheduled stops in New Haven and New York. Shabtai is run by real estate mogul Shmully Hecht, who, in his invitation to the event wrote, “At a personal level, I believe it is specifically unapologetic events such at [sic] this one that has preserved Yale as a more moderate safe haven for Jews in the current toxic Ivy community of extremism.”

Assistant Vice President for University Life Pilar Montalvo spoke with protesters at both 7 pm. and 8 pm. Neither Montalvo nor the protest organisers disclosed the nature of their conversations.

The protest appears to violate Yale’s regulations regarding the erection of structures on campus, which require prior written approval. University policies also state that all campus events must end by 11 pm on weekdays and 1 am on weekends.

A spokesperson from the Sumud Coalition — which includes Yalies4Palestine, Jews for Ceasefire, and the Endowment Justice Collective — clarified that the protest was not affiliated with their coalition.

“It’s an autonomous group of students who object to Ben-Gvir’s presence and Yale’s silence about it,” the spokesperson said. They did not comment further on the reasons behind this independent action.

By 9 pm, at least three counter-protesters were present, filming the scene. At least eight Yale Police Department officers and two Public Safety Officers were stationed around Beinecke Plaza, with another officer located inside the Schwarzman Center.