Police have apprehended at least 25 pro-Palestinian demonstrators and dismantled a protest camp at the University of Virginia on Saturday, according to a university statement.
This occurred as universities across the U.S. prepared for potential disruptions during graduation festivities.
The University of Virginia’s campus in Charlottesville became a hotspot for tension. Until Saturday morning, protests had remained largely peaceful. However, a video showed police officers in riot gear advancing on a camp on the university lawn, detaining some protesters with zip-ties and seemingly using a chemical spray.
Nationwide, students have been organizing rallies and setting up tents at numerous universities to voice their opposition to the prolonged war in Gaza. They are urging President Joe Biden, a known supporter of Israel, to take more decisive action to halt the violence in Gaza. Additionally, they are calling for their institutions to divest from companies that back the Israeli government, including arms manufacturers.
The University of Virginia disclosed in a press release that protesters had breached several university rules, such as erecting tents on Friday night and using amplified sound. University President Jim Ryan stated in a message that officials had discovered that “individuals unaffiliated with the university,” who posed “some safety concerns,” had joined the campus protesters. The number of arrested individuals who were UVA students remains unclear.
A group known as UVA Encampment for Gaza, which had announced earlier in the week that it had established the camp, criticized the university’s decision to involve the police in an Instagram post.
In Chicago, dozens were arrested for criminal trespass at a protest outside the Art Institute after the institute summoned police to remove protesters it claimed were unlawfully occupying its property, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Elsewhere, confrontations did not lead to arrests. In Ann Arbor, pro-Palestinian protesters momentarily interrupted a commencement ceremony at the University of Michigan. Social media videos depicted numerous students donning the traditional keffiyeh headdress and graduation caps, waving Palestinian flags as they paraded down the central aisle of Michigan Stadium to mixed reactions from the crowd.
The ceremony proceeded, and campus police guided the protesters to the rear of the stadium. No arrests were made, confirmed Colleen Mastony, a university spokesperson. She added in a statement, “Peaceful protests like this have taken place at U-M commencement ceremonies for decades. The university supports free speech and expression, and university leaders are pleased that today’s commencement was such a proud and triumphant moment.”
Over the past few weeks, differing opinions on Israel’s war in Gaza have sparked, occasionally violently, on U.S. campuses. Many institutions, including Columbia University in New York City, have enlisted police to suppress the protests. To date, police have arrested over 2,000 protesters at colleges nationwide.
The University of Michigan is among many universities that have modified their security protocols for graduation ceremonies. The anti-war protests are a response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched following a Hamas attack on October 7, which Israel claims resulted in 1,200 deaths. According to Gaza health authorities, Israel’s retaliation has caused over 34,000 deaths and devastated the Palestinian territory.
Campus protests have become a new political battleground during a contentious and deeply divided U.S. election year. On Thursday, a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the University of Mississippi was countered by a larger group singing the national anthem and carrying U.S. flags.
The events at Ole Miss, the state’s premier university, sparked widespread outrage and condemnation after a viral video showed a predominantly white group of students heckling a Black female protester. Some hurled racist insults.
While the university’s chancellor condemned the “racist overtones” of the incident and announced an ongoing investigation, Georgia Republican U.S. Representative Mike Collins shared the video on his social media account on Friday, applauding what he described as “Ole Miss taking care of business.” A spokesperson for Collins stated that he was highlighting instances of “regular everyday students … standing up against a small group of leftist agitators who seek only to disrupt and destroy.”
In a separate incident, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham announced on Saturday that he would be sending Chick-fil-A, a popular U.S. fast food chain, to the counter-protesters who he believed “protected our flag and stood up for America” at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earlier in the week. Graham’s post on social media expressed hope for the future generation’s patriotism, citing the actions of these young men.
