Police clearing Pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University, dozens arrested
WASHINGTON — Police began clearing a pro-Palestinian tent camp at George Washington University early Wednesday, hours after dozens of protesters left the site and marched to President Ellen Granberg’s home.
“Officers issued their third and final warning for protesters to leave around 3:30 a.m., saying anyone remaining in U-Yard and the stretch of H Street in front of the square would be arrested,” said GW Hatchet, chief of the university. independent, student-run newspaper.
University officials in Washington DC had issued statements warning of possible suspensions for students who participated in protest activities at University Yard.
“While the university is committed to protecting students’ rights to free speech, the encampment had evolved into an unlawful activity, with participants directly violating university policies and municipal regulations,” the university said in a statement.
Local media had reported that some protesters were pepper-sprayed as police prevented them from entering the encampment and that nearly 30 people had been arrested, according to community organizers.
On Tuesday evening, demonstrators carrying signs reading “Free Palestine” and “Hands off Rafah” marched to Granberg’s home. Police were called to control the crowd. No arrests have been made.
This comes as Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith are scheduled to testify Wednesday afternoon about the District of Columbia’s handling of the protest at a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
A pro-Palestinian tent camp was cleared Tuesday at the University of Chicago after administrators who had initially taken a tolerant approach said the protest had crossed a line and raised growing security concerns.
University President Paul Alivisatos acknowledged the school’s role as a protector of free speech after officers in riot gear blocked access to the school’s Quad, but also took an “enough is enough” stance.
“The university remains a place where dissenting voices have many opportunities to express themselves, but we cannot create an environment in which the expression of some dominates the healthy functioning of the community and disrupts the rest,” Alivisatos wrote in a message to the university community. .
Tensions have continued to rise following clashes with protesters on campuses across the US – and increasingly in Europe – almost three weeks after the start of a movement launched by a protest at Columbia University. Some colleges immediately took action against protests against the war between Israel and Hamas. Among those who have tolerated the tent encampments, some are beginning to lose patience and turn to police over concerns about disruptions to campus life, safety and non-student involvement.
Just over 2,600 people have been arrested on 50 campuses since April 18, figures based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.
But not all schools take that approach; some schools allow protesters to hold rallies and organize their encampments as they see fit.
The president of Wesleyan University, a liberal arts college in Connecticut, has praised the demonstration on campus — which included a pro-Palestinian tent camp — as an act of political expression. The camp there has grown from about 20 tents a week ago to more than 100.
“The protesters’ cause is important – drawing attention to the killing of innocent people,” university President Michael Roth wrote to the campus community on Thursday. “And we will continue to make space for them to do that, as long as that space does not disrupt the operation of the campus.”
The Rhode Island School of Design, where students began occupying a building Monday, affirms students’ rights to freedom of expression 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 the protesters that evening to discuss their demands.
On Tuesday, the school announced it would move classes that were scheduled to take place in the building. It was covered with posters reading “Free Palestine” and “Let Gaza Live,” and a dove was drawn on the sidewalk in colored chalk.
Campuses have tried tactics, from appeasement to threats of disciplinary action, to resolve the protests and clear the way for them to begin.
At the University of Chicago, hundreds of protesters gathered for at least eight days until administrators warned them Friday to leave or face removal. On Tuesday, the police dismantled the camp.
Officers later picked up a barricade erected to keep demonstrators out of the Quad and moved it toward the demonstrators, some of whom chanted, “On, on, liberation.” Away, away with the occupation!” Police and protesters pushed back and forth along the barricade as officers moved to regain 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.