Swarthmore permanently revokes SJP chapter's affiliation after repeated violations
Swarthmore College's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter was found to have repeatedly violated school codes regarding bullying, intimidation, and property damage.
The ruling comes after more than a year of standoffs between the group and school officials.
Swarthmore College has permanently revoked its recognition of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), citing repeated violations of the Student Code of Conduct and what officials described as serious harm to the campus community.
The Sept. 9 announcement ended more than a year of standoffs between administrators and SJP, which included encampments, vandalism, and the involvement of non-student activists. An external adjudicator concluded the group committed “repeated and serious harm” by violating policies on bullying, harassment, intimidation, property damage, and unauthorized use of facilities.
As a result, Swarthmore SJP is now barred from receiving student funds, booking campus spaces, or working with other recognized groups.
[RELATED: Swarthmore College SJP activists hold 11-hour sit-in for anti-Israel divestments]
The decision followed a string of campus protests.
In April 2024, SJP and allied groups erected tents on Parrish Beach during Passover, which administrators warned could intimidate Jewish students amid rising antisemitism nationwide. Then-acting Co-Presidents Tomoko Sakomura and Rob Goldberg said the protest would be investigated as a potential violation of college policy.
In spring 2025, while already suspended, SJP launched another encampment on Trotter Lawn. President Valerie Smith said demonstrators vandalized college property, including scrawling graffiti that “celebrated violence and promoted hate” on Swarthmore’s “Big Chair,” a giant Adirondack chair and popular meeting place.
Smith also reported that SJP used social media to invite outside activists, some of whom joined the protest. The FBI advised administrators to end the encampment “as quickly as possible” due to security concerns. After students ignored repeated warnings to leave, Swarthmore began issuing interim suspensions.
Suspended students were barred from attending class, accessing campus services, or participating in college activities.
[RELATED: Swarthmore SJP chapter projects ‘globalize the intifada’ on campus building]
Despite those measures, officials said SJP organizers avoided accountability by acting anonymously and failing to respond to outreach. With no student representatives engaged in the process, an external adjudicator reviewed the evidence and ruled that the group had violated school codes and caused “repeated and serious harm” to the community.
The ruling makes Swarthmore one of the first private liberal arts colleges to permanently revoke recognition of an SJP chapter since the nationwide surge of pro-Palestinian encampments in 2024.
