12 arrested as police shut down Wayne State pro-Hamas occupation
Law enforcement cleared out the anti-Israel encampment at Wayne State University in Detroit at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, arresting 13 protesters in the process.
The WSU president wrote that the school 'has a proud history of supporting freedom of speech, religion, and the right to peacefully protest, while respecting the voices of our students, faculty, staff, and community.'
Law enforcement officials cleared out an anti-Israel encampment at Wayne State University in Detroit at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, arresting 12 protesters in the process.
President Kimberly Andrews Espy wrote in a letter that the decision to break up the encampment came in the wake of discussions about campus safety and other related concerns with the Board of Governors and members of the WSU administration.
A university spokesperson confirmed to Campus Reform that 12 individuals were arrested.
“The encampment created multiple legal, health, and safety challenges that disrupted our operations and required us to shift to remote operations this week,” Espy wrote. “The encampment also created an environment of exclusion – one in which some members of our campus community felt unwelcome and unable to fully participate in campus life.”
As of midmorning on Thursday, activists had vacated the encampment site but moved the protest to a nearby street.
According to Espy’s letter, she and other officials of the WSU administration previously informed members of the encampment that “the occupants were trespassing on university property, and we asked that the encampment be removed.” She added that, “No individual or group is permitted to claim campus property for their own use and deny others access to that property.”
On May 28, Espy offered to meet with two representatives of the occupation, but the protesters declined the invitation because the two students who Espy invited weren’t Palestinian and they preferred to meet in an “open” meeting format, according to CBS News.
“We need to meet on our terms as well. This isn’t the representation we want for a meeting to discuss divestment,” a member of the encampment reportedly said, referencing the protesters’ demands that the school dissolve its financial ties to Israel.
[RELATED: Pro-Hamas protesters battle with police outside relocated Pomona graduation]
Espy reiterated in her letter that the decision to end the encampment does not undermine the university’s commitment to protecting free speech.
“Wayne State University has a proud history of supporting freedom of speech, religion, and the right to peacefully protest, while respecting the voices of our students, faculty, staff, and community,” Espy wrote. “When actions violate the law, threaten health and safety, or impair the ability of our campus community to conduct the work of the university, however, we must act.”
The school announced on Tuesday that it would move classes online in response to the encampment, citing public safety concerns.
According to Espy’s letter, the administration will decide later on Thursday whether to resume in-person classes.
Campus Reform has reached out to Wayne State University for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.