CALIFORNIA, USA: More than a dozen individuals were arrested at Stanford University in California on Wednesday following a pro-Palestinian student protest inside the office of the university president.
This incident is part of the ongoing tensions between U.S. students and authorities regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The protest began when around 10 students entered the administrative offices early in the morning on the last day of the spring quarter, while about 50 others formed a human chain around the building, chanting, “Palestine will be free,” according to The Stanford Daily. The group, Liberate Stanford, announced on Instagram that an “autonomous group of students” had occupied President Richard Saller’s office, demanding the university divest from companies involved in Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Police intervened using a crowbar to gain entry approximately two hours after the protest started. Stanford University reported that 13 people were arrested, an officer was injured, and there was “extensive” damage to the building.
“The situation on campus has now crossed the line from peaceful protest to actions that threaten the safety of our community,” university administrators said.
A reporter from The Stanford Daily was one of the people detained.
This protest is one of many in recent months where hundreds of students across the country have been detained for staging demonstrations, creating encampments, and occupying buildings in protest of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. These actions have reportedly resulted in the deaths of more than 36,000 Palestinians, as per Gazan health authorities.
The Israeli military campaign began following an attack by Hamas, the militant group controlling Gaza, on southern Israel on October 7. This attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 and over 36000 Palestinian deaths mostly women and children.
