The Virginia State Police cleared an anti-Israel protest at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville on Saturday and reportedly took over two dozen protesters into custody.
Law enforcement officials in riot gear were seen approaching the pro-Palestinian encampment that sat on the university’s lawn and spraying chemical irritants as they began clearing the encampment, according to a video posted by The Cavalier Daily, UVA’s student-run newspaper.
MOMENTS AGO: Police in riot gear cleared the encampment using force. Upwards of a dozen protestors have been detained. Chemical irritants have been used. Large crowd remains, and is being pushed back to University Ave. pic.twitter.com/VLquCoro5z
— The Cavalier Daily (@cavalierdaily) May 4, 2024
This came hours after the student newspaper reported that roughly 40 law enforcement officers had surrounded the anti-Israel encampment close to 12:30 p.m.
In another video posted to X by the student-run newspaper, police can be seen dragging a protester away from the encampment.
— The Cavalier Daily (@cavalierdaily) May 4, 2024
UVA issued a statement that a pro-Palestinian protest held on the campus “came to an end” after University, state, and local law enforcement officials began clearing the area after “multiple and repeated violations of several University policies, including the use of tents and amplified sound” were made.
The university wrote:
A pro-Palestinian protest on Grounds came to an end Saturday after University, local and state police cleared the area following multiple and repeated violations of several University policies, including the use of tents and amplified sound. Subsequent violent conduct along with failure to follow law-enforcement directions led to the declaration of an unlawful assembly.
Before Saturday’s standoff with law enforcement, which resulted in 25 arrests as of Saturday evening, the demonstration that began on Tuesday had been peaceful and complied with University policies.
The arrests and clearing of the encampment came after UVA President Jim Ryan revealed that the “tone of the protest changed” on Friday evening.
“We…. 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,” Ryan said in an email. “Despite numerous requests to comply with multiple University policies, the protesters refused.”
Protesters began pitching tents on Friday night “near the University Chapel and started using megaphones, both in violation of University policies that the group had previously agreed to follow,” UVA’s statement said.
Around 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, protesters were informed that the tents would need to be removed or facilities management workers would begin removing them.
Hours after this, around 11:45 a.m. state and local law enforcement officials arrived and informed the protesters that they were violating university policies and provided protesters with 10 minutes to leave.
Around 2:45 p.m., protesters were once again warned to leave and informed that the protest on the lawn was an “unlawful assembly.”
The clearing of the pro-Palestinian encampment comes as police have raided and cleared encampments at universities, including Columbia University, the City University of New York, Fordham University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
On April 17, the first pro-Palestinian encampment was established at Columbia University, resulting in several students being suspended the next day and hundreds of protesters being arrested.
While the first encampment was removed, a second one was established and remained until the New York Police Department conducted a raid after protesters seized control of Hamilton Hall, an academic building on campus.
Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments have been established on college and university campuses across the nation in support of the first one started at Columbia University.