George Washington University: DC Police Force's Effort to Disperse the Pro-Palestine Student Protest

Police arrested several protesters and cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment at George Washington University on Wednesday after a two-week demonstration against the war in Gaza.

The police force at George Washington University (GW) has arrested several people after the officers tried to evict a pro-Palestinian encampment that was established on the campus on April 25, 2022.

The Washington DC Metro Police spokesperson told BBC that there were some arrests made for obstruction of a police officer and unlawful entry while they were dispersing the crowd.

The student protesters had set up the camp at GW over the last two weeks to demonstrate against the conflict in Gaza, despite receiving an alternative protest site from the university. GW officials indicated that it was not clear whether the number of those involved in the event were students or not.

"The university, however, is expected to uphold the rights of the students to free expression, which the encampment has not remained as a lawful activity, with participants violating several university policies and city regulations," according to a statement from GWU.

Based on the information provided by Metro Police, the protesters demonstrating at GW had "a gradual increase in the level of aggression", which led to the university and the police force coordinating to remove the protesters from the campus and the surrounding streets on Wednesday morning.

Also Read: American Colleges Agree on Ceasefires to Settle Palestine Protests

GW's pro-Palestinian demonstration was one of a wave of protests targeting Palestine that has erupted on the campuses of nearly 140 US colleges in 45 states since mid-April. The protests started at Columbia University, New York on April 17, against the aggravating violence in Gaza.

Previously, President Joe Biden maintained that the right to protest was still valid, yet he also criticized the "causing chaos" on the campuses which were becoming the hub of demonstrations throughout the country.