Emerson College POSTED BAIL for its own pro-Hamas occupiers
Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt appeared to apologize for the arrests of anti-Israel campus occupiers in late April and said that staff members were sent to bail students out of jail.
Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt appeared to apologize for the arrests of anti-Israel campus occupiers in late April and said that staff members were sent to bail students out of jail.
According to Boston.com, 118 students were arrested during an anti-Israel encampment on the Emerson College campus during the early morning hours of April 25. They were charged with trespassing and disturbing the peace.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told the outlet that she made the decision to clear the encampment with Police Commissioner Michael Cox, citing “public safety and fire hazards.” The college is located in downtown Boston, and the encampment was between two buildings.
Video on social media shows the protesters linking arms and actively refusing arrest when police arrived.
[RELATED: Emerson students take over public alley, allegedly harass Jewish passersby]
Clashes break out between Massachusetts State Troopers in riot gear and students at Emerson College.
Police moved in to clear the encampment and ordered students to disperse but defiant students refused to move and clashed with officers.
pic.twitter.com/UCSy5R5uP9— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 25, 2024
Bernhardt wrote in the April 28 statement that “we should respect” the protesters “right to raise their collective voices while also acknowledging the disruptions created by their encampment occupying a public right-of-way.”
The college president said its administration encouraged police to remove the tents from the alley and make no arrests. When police eventually did make arrests, Bernhardt said that staff were sent to bail students out of jail.
”We know that the events of that night were, and are, emotionally overwhelming for our entire community, especially for the students present at the protest and the staff and faculty who were on site to provide support,” said Bernhardt. “Emerson has continued to be supportive in multiple ways – sending staff to all the precincts and posting bail for arrested students, canceling and modifying classes so our community could process what had occurred, and providing additional care and support for our community to heal.”
Additionally, the college won’t bring campus disciplinary charges against the protesters related to the encampment and asked the district attorney not to pursue charges. Emerson College will also provide housing to out-of-town students who need to come back to Boston for court appearances.
Despite pushback for the arrests, Wu defended the arrests on Tuesday during an appearance on GBH radio.
She said that the protesters were violating an ordinance filed and passed in 2023 which “prohibits any person from camping or maintaining campsite materials on any public property or in a public right of way.”
“We cannot say to unhoused residents, you have to comply with this ordinance that is on the books for health and safety, but if you are a student or if you are for a cause that we agree with, then we’re going to look the other way,” said Wu.
Responding to claims that the encampment could have been disbanded peacefully, Wu said that both the city and university told protesters several times to take down their tents and leave.
