On anniversary of mass arrests, pro-Palestinian protesters erect tents in front of Dartmouth administration building

Dartmouth College senior Ramsey Alsheikh, who is Palestinian American, takes a megaphone from another protester to read the poem

Dartmouth College senior Ramsey Alsheikh, who is Palestinian American, takes a megaphone from another protester to read the poem "Arguing with My Sister in the Genocide" by Omar Sakr, during a pro-Palestinian protest on the lawn of Parkhurst Hall, the college's administration building, in Hanover, N.H., on May 1, 2025. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) James M. Patterson

Rabbi Moshe Gray, director of Chabad House at Dartmouth College, photographs grafitti chalked onto the sidewalk in front of Parkhurst Hall in Hanover, N.H., Pro-Palestinian protesters set up two tents on the lawn of Parkhurst Hall, the college's administration building, in Hanover, N.H., on May 1, 2025.

Rabbi Moshe Gray, director of Chabad House at Dartmouth College, photographs grafitti chalked onto the sidewalk in front of Parkhurst Hall in Hanover, N.H., Pro-Palestinian protesters set up two tents on the lawn of Parkhurst Hall, the college's administration building, in Hanover, N.H., on May 1, 2025. "I'm all for free speech," said Gray, "but 'globalize the Intifada,' it's obvious what that means." Written under the previous phrase was "Nazionism," which he said was, "especially painful to me." (Valley News - James M. Patterson) James M. Patterson

Pro-Palestinian protesters set up two tents on the lawn of Parkhurst Hall, the college's administration building, in Hanover, N.H., just after noon on May 1, 2025. May Day protests and a vigil for Palestine are planned for later in the day. (Valley News - James M. Patterson)

Pro-Palestinian protesters set up two tents on the lawn of Parkhurst Hall, the college's administration building, in Hanover, N.H., just after noon on May 1, 2025. May Day protests and a vigil for Palestine are planned for later in the day. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) James M. Patterson

Published: 05-01-2025 3:57 PM

Modified: 05-02-2025 9:38 AM

HANOVER — On Thursday, the anniversary of mass arrests on the Dartmouth Green, pro-Palestinian protesters have once again erected tents on campus.

The students first erected two tents on the lawn in front of Parkhurst Hall, the building which houses President Sian Beilock’s office, at about 12:40 p.m., during a rally that began at noon.

As of about 2 p.m., more than a dozen people clustered around two tents. Those gathered were wearing keffiyeh, a traditional Arab headdress, on their heads and over their faces, and the tents were decorated with Palestinan flags.

Just before 3 p.m., the students attached the flags to the front of the administration building.

On the sidewalk around the two tents, students used chalk to write many phrases including: “cops off campus,” “antizionist not antisemitic,” “divest don’t arrest” and “Free Palestine.” Also just before 3 p.m., the students used chalk to write “dare to struggle, dare to win,” and “it is right to rebel” on the side of the administration building.

Hanover Police and Fire drove past the students in cars and on bicycles.

“We’re planning on holding out as long as we can,” said Dartmouth senior Roan Wade. “It’s really in admins’ hands if they’re willing to meet our demands.”

Wade said these demands include that the college administration read and vote on the divestment proposal students submitted, calling on the college to divest from companies that support Israel’s war in Gaza and commit to keeping U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, off campus and agree to not cooperate with the officers.

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Other students involved in the encampment declined to comment.

At about 4:30 p.m., after speaking with protesters a few times, Jennifer Rosales, senior vice president for community and campus life, brought out another member of the college’s administration, Josh Keniston, who is chairman of the college’s Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility, or ACIR.

The two spoke with three protesters for about 10 minutes to hear their demands before Keniston returned inside of the main administration building. 

Rosales declined to comment both before and after the discussions. 

Student organizer Ramsey Alsheikh said the protesters requested that the entire ACIR group agree to meet with the students next week to review their divestment proposal submitted last spring. But, Alsheikh said the college offered to bring one additional member of ACIR out to speak with them instead of convening a meeting. 

“Clearly there was no common ground,” Alsheikh said. “We wanted meaningful progress.” 

At 5 p.m., a student with face and head covered with a keffiyeh began chanting to the crowd, which had grown to include about 75 people, through a megaphone and announced that negotiations with the college had come to an end.

Protesters began to chant: “Beilock, Beilock, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide. Beilock, Beilock drop the case, you can’t even show your face.”

At 6:10, a speaker wearing a keffiyeh over his face and head announced to the crowd that negotiations with the college had resumed and the college agreed that it would not allow ICE into non-public spaces on campus without a judicial warrant, meeting the protesters’ second demand.

Following this announcement a resounding cheer went up from the crowd.

CLARIFICATION: The Dartmouth College administration agreed to not allow ICE on campus in non-public spaces without a judicial warrant. A previous version of this story was unclear about where on campus ICE would be denied access without a judicial warrant.