As disappointing as it was to learn of the Aug. 4 fire deliberately set in front of Baltimore’s Jewish Museum of Maryland, it appears to have been an act more motivated by impulse than protest, judging from the 66-year-old suspect with a history of mental illness and “fire-related crimes” arrested just six days later. It is a comfort, albeit a small one, that the incident was isolated and without serious consequence. It hardly seems worth much notice — except that Baltimore’s collective relief may be short-lived. As hot as the summer has been in Baltimore, the political thermometer may soon be inching up much higher as college students return, and the pro-Palestinian protests at certain campuses here and across the country are reignited.
To suggest that Johns Hopkins University and others are bracing for what may be in store with the fall semester is merely to state the obvious. Will the students pick up exactly where they left off last May before summer break beckoned? Adding to the worry is how the presidential election and the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel that left 1,200 Israelis dead and another 250 kidnapped may raise the stakes.
And did we mention that Oct. 7 falls between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the two most important Jewish holidays? It would be difficult to imagine a more fraught exercise than to envision confrontations between those angered by Oct. 7 and those outraged by the subsequent deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza after hearing certain candidates for president and vice president trade accusations, make wildly misleading claims about the conflict and further stir passions of favored voter blocs for political gain. Throw in some antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism, and campus administrators may recall spring’s encampments more fondly.
Yet the countdown has begun. At Hopkins, new students are expected on campus for orientation this Sunday. Returning students will be in class on Aug. 26. School officials have said they expect students to adhere to last May’s agreement to no longer use the “Beach” on the Homewood campus as a camping ground and rallying point for young people hiding behind face masks and traditional Palestinian scarves known as keffiyehs.
To their credit, school administrators aren’t looking to stifle free speech; they’re trying to nurture civility. A Hopkins spokesman observed that some changes have been made to the curriculum for incoming students to emphasize this point, beginning with first-year orientation. This includes boosting the themes of “Democracy Day” with its annual instruction on how to navigate the democratic process as well as helping students “build dialogue and listening skills that will serve them in their future.” And it doesn’t stop in September. The school has added “democracy and engaged citizenship course requirements” over the first two undergraduate years.
Just as meaningful to any returning student protesters, however, may be that Hopkins continues to mull the possibility of divesting from companies that support Israel, including, for example, major defense contractors like Northrup Grumman and General Dynamics. This was a stated goal of the Hopkins Justice Collective, which first organized the campus protests last spring. The proposal is currently in the hands of the university’s long-standing Public Interest Investment Advisory Committee, which began its review this summer but is not expected to be finalized until next year.
This respectful approach to the high-achieving students who flock to Hopkins each year makes some sense. But we trust there’s some stern resolve behind it. Behavior that causes students to fear for their lives or well-being should not be tolerated. Other campuses seem to have had some success holding a firmer line — including Towson University, where a handful of students received deferred suspensions for their actions on campus (including a “die-in” to simulate dead civilians in Gaza), a move now under protest from the American Civil Liberties Union as a violation of their First Amendment rights. Even at the Manhattan campus of Columbia University, one of the epicenters of pro-Palestinian protests four months ago, entry is limited to those with a university ID.
We admit this isn’t an easy line for schools to walk. However, students who are serious about human rights must recognize that civil discourse isn’t a sign of weakness but one of strength and enlightenment. Protests can make headlines for a day. Well-reasoned political movements that convince one’s fellow Americans of the rightness of your views can rewrite history books.
Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.