Virginia Tech ordered the students protesting the Israeli military action in Gaza to disperse Sunday night or risk arrest. Freelance journalist Justin Fleenor said he saw “more than two dozen” people arrested, including one professor.
Virginia Tech did not have a number available for how many people were arrested.
One video that Fleenor posted showed a woman in a Tech graduation robe being arrested; another showed police carrying a protestor from the site. Others were seen walking with police. Fleenor also posted a video showing a large group of students chanting “let them go!” Videos from others at the scene showed a crowd jeering police as they led handcuffed protestors to waiting vans.
Students began to erect the encampment early Friday on the lawn of the Graduate Life Center. Later that day, the university released a statement saying that the gathering “was not a registered event consistent with university policy.” Virginia Tech officials and police visited the encampment and explained the school’s policies, it said.
By Sunday afternoon, several hundred people had gathered as rumors of an impending removal by police — first predicted for 4:30 p.m., then revised to 6 p.m. — spread through the crowd and across social media. Some protesters prayed, while others encircled them. Some told a Cardinal News freelancer that they were prepared to be arrested.
But 6 p.m. came and went with no visible sign of action.
People mostly milled around although at various times there were small marches, with a demonstrator waving a Palestinian flag. Other times there were chants, including “From the sea to the river / Palestine will live forever.” That formulation, usually expressed as “from the river to the sea,” has been controversial because of wide disagreement over whether it denies Israel’s right to exist.
Signs at the demonstration called on Virginia Tech to divest from any Israeli investments and demanded a meeting with Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. Others singled out three members of the Tech Board of Visitors with the words “shame.” One of those has a background in intelligence work; the other is CEO of Boeing; it’s unclear why the third board member was singled out.
After darkness fell, there were new rumors that an 8 p.m. deadline had been set.
In a statement Sunday night, Virginia Tech said that “Through constant dialogue between university officials, the Virginia Tech Police Department, and protest organizers, we were able to maintain a safe and peaceful environment through much of the weekend.”
However, Tech went on to say: “As Sunday progressed, protestors continued to refuse to comply with policy and took further steps to occupy the lawn of the Graduate Life Center and outdoor spaces next to Squires Student Center.
“Given these actions by protesters, the university recognized that the situation had the increasing potential to become unsafe. Those who gathered were advised by university officials to remove their possessions and to disperse voluntarily; those who failed to comply were then approached by Virginia Tech police and were again asked to leave and advised that anyone who failed to comply would be charged with trespassing, in accordance with Virginia law. At approximately 10:15 p.m., police approached protesters to ask them to disperse within five minutes. Those who remained were subject to arrest.”
Virginia Tech issued an alert at 10:17 p.m. advising: “Heavy police activity around Graduate Life Center. Urgent. Please avoid the area. Call 911 for help.” It sent out another at 11:03 p.m., a third at 12:15 a.m. and a fourth at 1:25 a.m.
Demonstrations protesting the war in Gaza have sprung up on college campuses across the nation over the past several weeks.
Police have been clearing encampments and, in some cases, arresting protesters. The Associated Press reported that about 275 people were arrested Saturday at campuses including Arizona State, Indiana University and Washington University in St. Louis. There have been nearly 900 arrests nationwide since April 18, when New York police removed an encampment at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 people, the AP reported.
The University of Southern California canceled its main commencement ceremony.
Deric Allen contributed to this report.