Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building at Columbia University which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024, in New York City. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
Twenty-four state attorneys general, led by Arkansas’ Tim Griffin, are urging Brown University to reject a proposal for the Rhode Island school to divest from certain companies that do business with Israel.
The proposal, “Brown Divest Now,” triggers anti-boycott, divestment and sanction (BDS) laws in several states that prohibit contracting with, investing in or doing business with companies and entities that discriminate against Israel, Griffin wrote in a letter Monday to Brown University trustees and fellows.
“We urge the Brown University Corporation to reject this antisemitic and unlawful proposal that stems from the violent threats against Jewish students at Brown last spring,” the letter states.
The proposal comes from Students for Justice in Palestine, a group that Griffin’s letter alleges is linked to entities designated by the United States government as foreign terrorist organizations.