IU Police breaks up anti-Israel protest following new rules against disruptive encampments
‘The heavy use of that space since April and placement of temporary structures unfortunately damaged the area, necessitating extensive repairs now that the structures have been removed,’ the school wrote.
The decision comes after repeated and disruptive anti-Israel protests at the university that saw more than 50 demonstrators arrested.
After thousands of students were arrested during anti-Israel protests at dozens of colleges and universities across the nation in recent months, one major midwestern university is taking steps–in both word and action–to stop such disruptive demonstrations in the future.
Police officers disbanded an anti-Israel encampment at Indiana University (IU) on Friday, marking the school’s use of a new policy that places limits on disruptive or violent student demonstrations.
[RELATED: University of California spent $29 million responding to anti-Israel protests]
Police arrested more than 50 of the anti-Israel protesters in April after the activists ignored repeated warnings to disperse from the demonstration site, Dunn Meadow. The demonstrators, however, set up a new camp, which was only taken down on Friday.
In a letter to faculty and students, the university announced its decision to put up a fence around Dunn Meadow for the foreseeable future, explaining that the anti-Israel protesters’ extensive use of the area in recent months had caused significant damage that would take time to repair.
“As we prepare to enter the fall semester and more of you return to our beloved campus, you’ll notice a fence placed around Dunn Meadow,” the message read. “The heavy use of that space since April and placement of temporary structures unfortunately damaged the area, necessitating extensive repairs now that the structures have been removed.”
As authorities were clearing out the encampment at Dunn Meadow on Friday, one student who participated in the demonstrations stood by and watched, expressing sadness at the university’s decision to end the protest.
[RELATED: UNC and Duke anti-Israel groups condone ‘armed rebellion’ and ‘revolutionary violence’ to achieve goals: ‘Resist by any means necessary’]
“It’s sad to see IU destroy a peaceful protest,” he said. “We tried to create a peaceful community that IU didn’t want.”
The April protest ended in chaos as the protesters refused to disperse, and one of the protesters bit a police officer.
Campus Reform has reached out to Indiana University for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.