Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at university for violence

Eleven protesters were arrested Monday afternoon at the University of Minnesota after storming and vandalizing an administration building as part of an effort to pressure the university to divest from Israel.

The administration said they caused property damage and restricted access to the building.

The protest is the latest wave of campus activism to result in arrests in a new wave of anti-Israel activity this fall.

It echoes a similar protest at Columbia University last spring, during the nationwide pro-Palestinian encampment movement, when activists occupied a campus building, leading to a police raid and dozens of arrests.

Left-wing activist group

The Minnesota protest was organized by the university’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, a left-wing activist group that first rose to prominence in the 1960s.

Anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University broke into Columbia University’s iconic Hamilton Hall building (credit: GETTY IMAGES)

The chapter called on the university to end its policy of “neutrality” in its investment strategy, divest from the country and boycott its academic institutions, including ending study abroad programs.

In an article on in Palestine.

He also demanded that the university grant “full amnesty to students, staff, faculty and community members disciplined or fired for pro-Palestinian actions, including renowned genocide scholar Raz Segal.”

Anti-Semitic incidents

In June, the university rescinded an offer to Segal to become director of its Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies after he declared that the Israeli military campaign in Gaza was “a classic case of genocide taking place under our eyes “.

Last spring, school activists also set up a pro-Palestinian encampment, leading to protests, arrests and building closures.

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The encampment was ultimately dismantled after organizers reached an agreement with the university, which led to a meeting with UMN regents to discuss their demand that the school divest from Israel.

The May meeting likely made UMN the first American school with a significant Jewish population to hold a debate on the topic. The university then announced in late August that it would “adopt a position of neutrality regarding the investment of its consolidated endowment fund,” adding that the decision “formally rejects the request for divestment from Israel-related investments.”

With the fall semester in full swing and the war between Israel and Hamas continuing, some activists have renewed their efforts to push the university to divest.

The university said protesters gathered around 3 p.m. Monday and began entering Morrill Hall shortly before 4 p.m.

“Once inside the building, protesters began spray painting, including covering the lenses of all internal security cameras, breaking interior windows, and barricading entry and exit points to the building. building”, we can read in the press release.

“The full extent of the damage is unknown. A number of employees were working in the building at the time, and several people were unable to exit, with some unable to exit the building for an extended period of time.

At 4:39 p.m., the university sent out an emergency alert urging those in the building to exit and others to avoid the area. Campus police entered the building about an hour later, according to the release, and arrested 11 people.

A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the 11 protesters remained in custody as of Tuesday afternoon.

The protesters, aged 18 to 26, were all arrested on probable cause of property damage, trespassing and rioting. One was charged with fourth-degree assault.

The protesters had arrived with tents, saying they would stay in the building until their demands were met.

“We plan to stay until they forcefully evict us,” Merlin Van Alstein, an organizer with the group, said before the arrests, according to CBS. “The people inside will not leave until they meet our demands or are forced to leave.”

As part of the protest, organizers called the building “Halimy Hall,” after Palestinian influencer Medo Halimy, 19, who, according to the Associated Press, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in August. (The Israeli military says it is unaware of the strike that killed him.)

Emily Boskof, executive director of Minnesota Hillel, praised the university for its response.

“At Minnesota Hillel, our most important priority is ensuring the safety of Jewish students – first and foremost and always,” Boskof said in a statement, according to CBS. “We appreciate the administration and law enforcement holding students accountable for any violations of the code of conduct.

We are in close communication with university administrators to ensure they are doing everything possible to support and ensure the safety of Jewish students.

Boskof continued: “Even though these incidents attract attention online and in the media, most of the time we focus on the pride and joy of being Jewish. »

Early Tuesday, organizers of the pro-Palestinian protest called for two rallies, one at the county jail and one on campus, the latter of which was affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine. The group also asked its supporters to “call to demand the release of the occupiers” and provided a scenario.

The script was titled “Let Our People Go!” »

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