WASHINGTON — Police began clearing a pro-Palestinian encampment at George Washington University on Wednesday morning and arrested dozens of protesters, hours after dozens of people left the site and marched to President Ellen Granberg’s home.
University officials in Washington, D.C., warned of possible suspensions for students involved in protest activities at University Yard.
“While the university is committed to protecting students’ rights to free speech, the camp evolved into an illegal activity, with participants in direct violation of multiple university policies and city regulations,” the university said in a statement.
Local media reported that some protesters were pepper-sprayed when police blocked them from entering the camp, and nearly 30 people were arrested, according to community organizers.
In a statement, the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department said arrests were made for assault on a police officer and unlawful entry, but several arrests were not immediately made. The department said it moved to disperse protesters because “there was a gradual escalation in the volatility of the protest.”
Tuesday night, protesters carrying signs that read “Free Palestine” and “Hands off Rafah,” marched to Granberg’s home. The police were called to contain the crowd. No arrests were made.
This comes from Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD Chief Pamela Smith are ready to testify about the District of Columbia’s handling of the protest at a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing Wednesday afternoon.
A pro-Palestine camp was exonerated at the University of Chicago on Tuesday after administrators who initially took a permissive approach said the protest crossed a line and caused growing concerns about safety.
University President Paul Alivisatos acknowledged the school’s role as protector of free speech after police in riot gear blocked access to the school’s Quad, but also took a stand of enough.
“The university continues to be a place where dissenting voices have many avenues to express themselves, but we cannot allow an environment where the expression of a few dominates and disrupts the healthy functioning of the community for the rest,” Alivisatos wrote in a message to the university community. .
Tensions continued to rise in standoffs with protesters on campuses across the U.S. — and increasingly in Europe – almost three weeks after the start of a movement launched by a protest at Columbia University. Some colleges immediately suppressed protests against the Israel-Hamas War. Among those who tolerated the tent encampments, some began to lose patience and call the police due to concerns about disruptions to campus life, safety, and non-student involvement.
See more information: Pro-Palestinian protests erupt on college campuses around the world
Since April 18, just over 2,600 people have been arrested across 50 campuses, numbers based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.
But not all schools are taking this approach, and some allow protesters to hold rallies and organize their camps as they see fit.
The president of Wesleyan University, a liberal arts school in Connecticut, praised the campus rally — which included a pro-Palestine camp — as an act of political expression. The camp has grown from about 20 tents a week ago to more than 100.
“The protesters’ cause is important – to bring attention to the murder of innocent people,” university President Michael Roth wrote to the campus community on Thursday. “And we continue to make space for them to do that, as long as that space doesn’t disrupt campus operations.”
The Rhode Island School of Design, where students began occupying a building on Monday, affirms students’ rights to free speech and peaceful assembly and supports all members of the community, a spokesperson said. The school said President Crystal Williams spent more than five hours with protesters that night discussing their demands.
On Tuesday, the school announced it was relocating classes that were scheduled to take place in the building. It was covered with posters that read “Free Palestine” and “Let Gaza Live,” and a dove was drawn in colored chalk on the sidewalk.
Campuses have tried tactics ranging from appeasement to threats of disciplinary action to resolve the protests and make way for the start.
At the University of Chicago, hundreds of protesters gathered for at least eight days until administrators warned them on Friday to leave or face expulsion. On Tuesday, authorities dismantled the camp.
Officers later lifted a barricade erected to keep protesters out of the Quad and moved it toward the protesters, some of whom chanted, “Up, up with liberation. Down, down with the occupation!” Police and protesters moved back and forth along the barricade as officers moved to reestablish control.
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Associated Press journalists from across the U.S. and around the world contributed, including Charles Rex Arbogast, Pat Eaton-Robb, Steve LeBlanc, Jeff Amy, Christopher Weber, Mike Corder, Barbara Surk, Rick Callahan, Sarah Brumfield and Pietro de Cristofaro.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
