13 pro-Palestine protesters arrested after occupying the office of Stanford’s president
Thirteen pro-Palestine protesters were arrested at Stanford University Wednesday after they barricaded themselves inside the school president’s office building.
Protesters occupied Building 10 — where the offices of Stanford’s president and provost are located — to demand the university divest from companies supporting Israel’s war in Gaza, according to The New York Times.
Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez said in a statement that a public safety officer was injured by protesters. Damage was done inside the building, and graffiti outside conveyed “vile and hateful sentiments.”
The statement said that arrested students will be immediately suspended, and seniors will not be allowed to graduate.
The Stanford Daily reported that one of its journalists covering the protest was among those arrested.
Saller and Martinez also said Wednesday that an encampment at Stanford protesting Israel’s war had been removed.
“The situation on campus has now crossed the line from peaceful protest to actions that threaten the safety of our community,” they wrote. While the university values “peaceful and reasoned debate,” it condemns “any actions like those that were taken today.”
According to the Times, roughly 3,000 protesters have been arrested on US college campuses. The 13 arrests at Stanford are dwarfed by the upwards of 200 arrests that previously occurred at Columbia University and UCLA.
