Over 12 students were arrested at Stanford University in California on Wednesday. This was after pro-Palestinian student protesters barricaded themselves inside the office of the school president. The latest clash between US students and authorities over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The student newspaper The Stanford Daily showed that at least 10 students entered the administrative offices building around 5:30 a.m. on the last day of classes for the spring quarter. About 50 students linked arms and surrounded the building, chanting, “Palestine will be free.”
Students want university to divest from Israel
The group Liberate Stanford said in a post on Instagram an “autonomous group of students” had occupied the office of university president Richard Saller. The students have called on the school to divest from companies linked to Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Stanford Daily said police used a crowbar to enter the building about two hours after the demonstration began. The university said 13 students were arrested while one officer was injured. The building has also suffered “extensive” damage.
The arrested students will be suspended, and any seniors will not be permitted to graduate. One of them included a reporter for the Stanford Daily.
Stanford takes action to restore the ‘safety of our community’
Saller said the students’ actions left them “appalled and deeply saddened.”
The university also removed a pro-Palestinian encampment that had stood on campus since April. They also have a pro-Israel display honouring the victims of Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7.
The school leaders wrote. “The situation on campus has now crossed the line from peaceful protest to actions that threaten the safety of our community.”
There have been large pro-Palestinian protests on campus. School authorties have warned, suspended, and even arrested students in recent months. .
With inputs from Reuters
