College in Detroit suspends in-person classes because of pro-Palestinian camp

DETROIT– Wayne State University in Detroit suspended in-person classes on Tuesday and encouraged staff to work remotely to avoid problems with a pro-Palestinian encampment that emerged last week.

“All events on campus have been canceled until further notice. Critical infrastructure workers are expected to report to campus,” the school said in a statement around 5:30 a.m.

Wayne State spokesman Matt Lockwood said there have been “public safety issues,” especially over access to certain areas.

There were two dozen tents on the green space near the student library on Tuesday. Participants walked around as police and private security watched nearby. Two portable toilets were full and unusable.

“Yes, we told the organizers several times to remove the encampment, but they refused,” Lockwood said.

Wayne State has 16,000 students, but fewer during the summer term.

Protest camps sprung up across the US and Europe as students demanded their universities stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza. Organizers are seeking to strengthen calls for an end to Israel’s war against Hamas, which they describe as a genocide against the Palestinians.

Wayne State President Kimberly Andrews Espy said senior officials had offered to meet Tuesday if the camp was cleared by Monday evening, but the deal was rejected. The school posted a video of the offer on YouTube.

“That’s a joke, buddy,” said an unknown man in the camp.

Vice President Patrick Lindsey explained that Wayne State’s investment policies would be publicly discussed at a June 26 meeting of the university’s board of trustees.

The University of Michigan broke up a similar encampment on May 21 after 30 days.