ANN ARBOR (WWJ) — Hours after police cleared the pro-Palestine encampment on the University of Michigan campus, students showed up to protest outside the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office.
Four people were reportedly arrested as authorities removed the encampment on the Diag — an area at the center of campus — and officers allegedly used pepper spray on several protesters during the removal. Authorities did not immediately release further information about who was arrested or what charges they face.
Students and other protesters later moved to the sheriff’s office to call for their release. That protest ended shortly before 2 p.m. when those people were released, according to WWJ’s Darrylin Horne.
University of Michigan officials earlier in the day said the encampment — which had been in place since late April in attempts to get the school to divest itself from Israeli companies connected to the war in Gaza — was taken down due to safety concerns.
Melissa Overton, Public Information Officer for Division of Public Safety and Security, said in a statement Tuesday those participating in the encampment had received numerous outreach attempts from U-M administrators and DPSS leadership, asking them to leave.
"The encampment posed safety risks, both to participants and the community at large, and its presence was in violation of policies and regulations," Overton said in a statement" Its removal was important to help maintain the safety and security of the U-M campus community."
Michigan President Santa Ono said in a statement the university fire marshal last Friday conducted a fire inspection and determined that if a fire occurred, a catastrophic loss of life was likely.
Officials also said students were warned multiple times prior to the clearing of the encampment Tuesday morning. One protester outside the sheriff’s office told Horne that’s not true.
“That is a complete lie, actually. There was no fire marshal ever present on the encampment that talked to anyone,” he said. “I think they had some like university staff member who advises on fire policy, or something like that, but there was no fire marshal. And we got no orders directly from a fire marshal. So that was a fabrication.”
Another student said at least one fellow protester was taken to the hospital with respiratory issues after they were pepper sprayed, calling it a contradiction to Ono's statement that the encampment was broken up due to safety concerns.
"One protester was pepper sprayed while on the ground and wound up in the ER due to respiratory injuries. At the very same moment President Ono sent out an email saying that for the safety of the campus they're dispersing the encampment. At the same time our heads are being beat in, shoulders dislocated, chemical burns -- I've got a lot on my face and my arms right now as I speak -- he's talking about safety," the protester said."
The encampment at Michigan's campus is one of many to be set up this spring as students voice their concerns with President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Last week student protests paid visits in the early morning to homes of multiple members of the Board of Regents. Fake "bloody" body bags and stuffed animals were placed in their yards, along with a list of demands.
"While they did not occur on campus, the demonstrations that took place during the early morning hours of May 15 at the homes of several members of the U-M Board of Regents went well beyond the lawful exercise of free speech," Ono's statement Tuesday said. "Marching and chanting in the middle of the night outside private homes, posting demands on private property, and placing a burnt cradle and fake bloody body bags on the lawn of one regent amounted to vandalism and trespass, not protected expression. While the demonstrators wore masks to hide their identities, they made clear on social media that they were the leaders of the Diag encampment."
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