Brown students protest after vote to reject divestment

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Brown Divest Coalition will protest today on Brown University’s Main Green after Brown Corporation’s vote to reject divestment.

According to the Brown Divest Coalition, they believe the companies Brown is choosing not to divestment from will “facilitate Israeli war crimes, which include genocide in Gaza, illegal occupation of the West Bank, and invasion of Lebanon.”

In a media release, the Brown Divest Coalition said the university’s decision “is not only an egregious moral failing and affront to democratic values the institution purports to uphold, but an act of cowardice that sets a terrifying precedent of forced institutional neutrality in the face of genocide.”

Universities like Rhode Island College, Providence College, and the University of Rhode Island will also plan to attend the protest.

A spokesperson with Brown University stated:

Brown’s policies make very clear that protest is a necessary and acceptable means of expression on campus, provided protests don’t interfere with the normal functions of the university or infringe on the rights of others.

Students continue to have the ability to hold protests and demonstrations, provided they abide by the university’s codes of conduct and policies and protocols related to protests and demonstration.