Students later presented their proposalrecommending that Brown divest 10 companies, including those that student activists say provide products or services to Israel’s military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank and corporations that help maintain or expand Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories.

“Both on its own merits and as a member of the Ivy League, Brown occupies a unique position in the educational, cultural and political landscape of our nation and the world,” the Brown Divest Coalition wrote in the proposal. “As such, we have a unique responsibility to contribute to global civil society pressure aimed at promoting a just coexistence among all peoples currently living in historic Palestine. Achieving such a resolution will be a long and difficult road, and the purpose of divestment is to reduce harm to civilian populations, not to propose a solution.”

The Brown University Corporation, the school’s highest governing body and chief financial overseers, voted against divestment proposal on Oct. 8, noting in an Oct. 9 email that the university’s exposure to 10 companies is “so small that it could not be directly responsible for social harm.” Some student protesters say the vote took place “in secret. “

“Brown is often painted in the media as the school that ‘actually talked to the protesters,'” the BDC wrote in a statement. “Don’t be fooled: this is a smokescreen for their relentless campaign of bureaucratic violence over the past year.”

The October 18 protest, hosted by Brown SJP, was the first major action since the Corporation voted no on divestment. Student protesters marched down College Hill, through the Jewelry District and around Brown Medical School, where members of the Corporation met.

Some students held banners reading “Free Palestine” and “F$&@! YOU CPAX” while others beat buckets like drums. Students shouted at the Corporation members as they exited the medical school, raising their middle fingers and fists in the air. Protesters chanted “Shame!” The students then formed a blockade along the crosswalk to prevent the Brown shuttle from carrying members of the Corporation. Protesters dispersed after police warned of arrest.

University spokesman Brian Clark said the school had received reports alleging “threatening, intimidating, harassing and racially charged actions directed at Brown administrators, staff and board members.”

Given the “seriousness” of these allegations, the university suspended the student organization on October 24, although the students themselves were not suspended. Brown SJP must cease all meetings, events, social media posts, spending of funds, or use of the organization’s name. The group is also not allowed to organize or participate in formal or informal events as an organization.

Student protesters have rallied around demands for divestment over the past year following a surge in pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses across the country following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent bombing of Gaza. Sixty-one Brown students were arrested for trespassing in 2023 while staging sit-ins at University Hall to demand divestment, and 19 students went on an eight-day hunger strike in February in a demonstration that held during a meeting of the Corporation.

“While Brown’s policies make clear that protest is a necessary and acceptable form of expression on campus, protest cannot interfere with normal university functions, include intimidating or harassing members of the community, or violating the rights of others,” Clark said in announcing the suspension. the group. “We are committed to supporting freedom of expression while respecting the dignity and humanity of others.”

The assessment is carried out by an external investigator. If the finding confirms policy violations, they will be addressed in student conduct procedures.

Student activists are furious at the university for banning the only organization dedicated exclusively to Palestinians in what they call “a politically motivated revenge ploy to smear the protesters, fracture the student movement and diminish their complicity in the extermination of the Palestinian people.” ” according to the BDC.

“But we know that the administration’s attempts to stifle the student movement will not work,” the BDC said in a statement.

This is a developing story and will be updated. This report used material from previous Globe articles.