Red paint coats Dartmouth building in pro-Palestinian protest

(JTA) — As prospective members of Dartmouth’s class of 2029 visited their new campus for the first time Monday morning, they were confronted by a smattering of red paint across Dartmouth Hall’s facade.

The person who was allegedly responsible for the paint, which dripped from the building’s windows and doorways, said the act was in protest of the school’s investment in companies affiliated with Israel. The person spoke anonymously with the school’s student paper, The Dartmouth, about their motivations.

“Despite the known atrocities unfolding, Dartmouth insists on fueling the war machine through its cooperation with arms manufacturers complicit with the Gaza genocide,” the individual told The Dartmouth.

In February, the student coalition Dartmouth Divest for Palestine submitted a formal proposal to the school for it to divest from Israel. A college spokesperson said last month that investment decisions “must not curtail debate” but that an advisory committee would evaluate the request.

Divestment has long been a rallying cry from pro-Palestinian activists on campuses who seek to have their school’s finances severed from Israel. Dousing facades with red paint is likewise a frequent tactic of pro-Palestinian activists. Last year, the steps of Dartmouth’s president’s office was also splattered with red paint and the words “Free Palestine Divest” were written on the side of the building, according to Valley News.

The individual told the paper that they intentionally chose to act on the day that prospective students were visiting.

“As Dartmouth welcomes the Class of 2029 to campus, university students in Gaza must put their education on pause for the second consecutive year due to Israel’s continued assault on the Gaza Strip,” the source told The Dartmouth. “Let the blood that drips from Dartmouth Hall remind you of the price of silence.”

Yesterday, Dartmouth Hall was doused in red paint in an act of protest. https://t.co/5oEUoEQ4zS

— The Dartmouth (@thedartmouth) April 29, 2025

Dartmouth condemned the vandalism in a statement.

“Dartmouth prizes and defends the freedom of expression and dissent. Vandalism, however, is unacceptable and not protected by Dartmouth policies,” the statement read. “The Hanover Police Department and Dartmouth’s Department of Safety and Security are investigating the incident.”

Hillel at Dartmouth also denounced the vandalism in a statement, adding that it was “confident” the university will offer a “firm and principled” response.

“Acts of vandalism do not move us forward—there is no place for intimidation, violence, or destruction of property on our campus,” the statement read. “These acts of vandalism only serve to foster division among our students. Instead, we should all strive to build bridges by listening and finding common ground.”

By Monday afternoon, maintenance crews had largely cleared the paint off Dartmouth Hall, according to The Dartmouth.

The vandalism comes as schools around the country face mounting scrutiny from the Trump administration over their handling of pro-Palestinian protests on their campus. The administration has made billions of dollars in federal funding cuts to several Ivy League schools including Harvard and Cornell.

But Dartmouth, which received praise in the aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023, for how it handled tensions around Israel, has so far emerged mostly unscathed. It was not included in the Trump administration’s March list of 60 schools under investigation over allegations of antisemitism, even though it, like many other campuses, saw large-scale protests last spring.

There have been moments of tension. In May 2024, a Jewish professor at Dartmouth was thrown to the ground by police at a pro-Palestinian encampment. This year, two students at Dartmouth have had their student visas revoked, though one was subsequently reinstated.

Recently, Dartmouth students, alumni and faculty criticized the school for not condemning the administration’s campus crackdown. Last week, Dartmouth was the only Ivy League school that didn’t join a petition signed by 400 university leaders decrying the administration’s actions.

In response to the criticism, Dartmouth’s President Sian Leah Beilock emailed a statement to the school community defending her lack of opposition, writing, “reflection does not mean capitulation.” She added, “I believe we can do better by staying focused on what we are: educational institutions, not political organizations.”

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