Johns Hopkins University leaders are investigating whether a student-led effort to set up an encampment on campus last week violated school protest and discrimination policies.

Around 5 a.m. last Thursday, a group of approximately 25 students pitched tents and canopies on Hopkins’ main lawn to push the university to divest from Israeli-backed organizations amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Within a half hour, multiple officers from Hopkins’ public safety department and its newly-established private police force arrived, accompanied by some officers from the Baltimore Police Department.

The Hopkins Justice Collective, a pro-Palestine student group leading the protest, shared multiple videos of the incident with WYPR and on Instagram.

In the videos, students link arms to surround a canopy as Chief of Police Branville Bard and a handful of officers pull it down.

“I'm moving forward in Johns Hopkins University space,” Bard says to the students as he pushes forward into the crowd. “You can choose to do this. You're going to be subject to all of the disciplinary action that follows.”

One student organizer, who spoke with WYPR on the condition of anonymity due to safety concerns, said the group felt compelled to take further action after having “no real good faith negotiations” with Hopkins leaders over their list of demands to divest from and disclose ties to companies connected to Israel.

Those negotiations were included in an agreement between university leaders and the Hopkins Justice Collective that ended a weeks-long encampment last spring.

“We felt that a non-violent demonstration was the best way to kind of get a meeting and get more traction on our demands,” the student said. “We really value our institution, and thus we want what is best for it, which is no investments in weapons of mass destruction, and no investments in genocide and war, and proper modes of safety on campus.”

In a letter sent to Hopkins students and faculty May 9, Bard and Vice Provost Rachelle Hernandez said the incident is being investigated by the Office of Student Conduct for violating campus protest policies — which ban the assembly of tents and temporary structures.

“And the group’s actions, chants, and signage are being assessed by the Office of Institutional Equity for potential threat, harassment, intimidation, or discrimination under Title VI,” the letter said.

In videos provided by the HJC, students chant “free, free Palestine” and “fascist settlers, Zionist state.”

The HJC said in a statement that over 30 officers arrived at the site in response. But Vice President of Media Relations J.B. Bird said in an email that there were 12 public safety officers, along with 5 officers from the JHPD and three Baltimore police who observed but did not intervene.

The videos show Bard giving one official dispersal warning, while telling protesters they could be arrested for trespassing.

As Bard gives the second official order to disperse, officers start pulling down a canopy while students remain underneath. The HJC representative who spoke with WYPR said two students were injured in the process.

“They forcefully yanked one of our canopies, which then collapsed, and they kept pulling,” they said. “The canopy bent and struck one student across the arm and another student across the face. In order to prevent any further injury, we made the call to disperse.”

In an emailed statement, a university representative said officials observed no student injuries.

“From start to finish, the incident was resolved in under an hour, in an orderly and highly professional manner,” the statement said.

The HJC representative said students feel “more determination and a lot of hurt” in the aftermath.

“Hopkins can not intimidate their own students from holding them accountable,” they said.