Charlottesville, Virginia – In a dramatic showdown, the Virginia State Police cleared an anti-Israel protest at the University of Virginia (UVA) on Saturday, leading to the arrest of over two dozen protesters. Law enforcement officials in riot gear confronted the pro-Palestinian encampment on the university’s lawn, using chemical irritants to disperse the protestors, as captured in a video posted by The Cavalier Daily, UVA’s student-run newspaper.
— The Cavalier Daily (@cavalierdaily) May 4, 2024
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Earlier in the day, the student newspaper reported that approximately 40 law enforcement officers had surrounded the anti-Israel encampment around 12:30 p.m. Additionally, a separate video posted by the same student-run newspaper shows police dragging a protester away from the encampment.
The protest, which had been peaceful and in compliance with university policies since it began on Tuesday, took a contentious turn on Friday. UVA President Jim Ryan revealed that the “tone of the protest changed” in the evening, following a public call for other individuals to join, including some who were unaffiliated with the university, raising significant safety concerns. The protesters, despite numerous requests, refused to comply with the university policies. They began pitching tents near the University Chapel and using megaphones on Friday night, in violation of the agreed-upon university policies.
UVA President Jim Ryan has sent a message to the community: pic.twitter.com/MpwMMn5nWz
— CBS19 News: Charlottesville News First (@CBS19News) May 4, 2024
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“Beginning Tuesday afternoon of this week, a small group, including members of our community, participated in a peaceful public demonstration near the UVA Chapel. Until last evening, they complied with requests to adhere to University policies, including a long-standing prohibition on erecting tents absent a permit. We also learned last evening, after the protesters had made a public call for others to join, that individuals unaffiliated with the University – who also presented some safety concerns – had joined them. Despite numerous requests to comply with multiple University policies, the protesters refused.
Early this morning, Chief of Police Tim Longo offered a final warning to the protesters, reminding them once again of their University policy violations and pleading for a peaceful resolution. That request was ignored. We hoped and tried to handle this locally. But when UPD’s attempts to resolve the situation were met with physical confrontation and attempted assault, it became necessary to rely on assistance from the Virginia State Police. This afternoon, the police declared an unlawful assembly, issued no trespass orders to those who refused to disperse, and arrested those who continued to refuse dispersal.” – UVA President Jim Ryan
Subsequently, state and local law enforcement officials arrived around 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, providing the protesters with 10 minutes to leave after informing them that they were violating university policies. By 2:45 p.m., the demonstrators were once again warned to disperse and informed that their assembly was “unlawful.”
.@UVA — Police break up the umbrella brigade at the pro-Gaza riot and encampment on campus. https://t.co/TFP6Ye0mkQ
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) May 5, 2024
The clearing of the pro-Palestinian encampment at UVA mirrors recent police actions at other major universities, including Columbia University, the City University of New York, Fordham University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The first pro-Palestinian encampment was established at Columbia University on April 17, resulting in several student suspensions and multiple protester arrests.
A pro-Palestinian protest ended on Grounds Saturday after University, local and state police cleared the area. This followed repeated policy violations. Violent conduct and failure to follow police directions led officers to declare an unlawful assembly. https://t.co/GXgqptNRCC
— UVA (@UVA) May 5, 2024
These events are part of a wider trend, with pro-Palestinian demonstrations and encampments ‘cropping up’ at numerous college and university campuses across the nation in solidarity with the initial protest at Columbia University.
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