Why I’m Not Calling the Police on My Students’ Encampment

Michael S. Roth
May 7, 2024
The encampment at Wesleyan University went up on the night of Sunday, April 28, during a planned rally in support of Palestinians. . . . The students were well aware that I’d already gone on record—several times in print—with respect to Gaza since the heinous terrorist attacks of October 7. On that day I wrote about Hamas’s “sickening violence” against Israel, and since then I have written about the dangers of antisemitism and Islamophobia at home and about the loss of innocent life in Gaza. So I can’t argue that university leaders should keep quiet or say something evasive about “principled neutrality.” Indeed, the students reminded me of a phrase I’d used: “Neutrality is complicity.” Although I am one of the only American university presidents to call for a cease-fire in Gaza, the students in the meeting did not find that nearly enough. Mere words, they told me, are just another form of neutrality. They accused me of trying to hide behind them. And outside the chants grew louder: “Roth, Roth, you can’t hide / you can’t hide from genocide.” When I walked home, an angry crowd of maybe 75 followed close behind.
 
Michael S. Roth is the president of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.
 His most recent books include Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist’s Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness on College Campuses. 
 We urge you to read the whole article at: https://newrepublic.com/article/181341/wesleyan-president-not-calling-police-student-gaza-encampment