Stanford students arrested in pro-Palestine protest
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US authorities persist in suppressing pro-Palestine students who continue to demand an end to Israeli aggression in Gaza.
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A pro-Palestine protester occupying Hamilton Hall waves a Palestinian flag on the roof of the building at Columbia University, on April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Students at Stanford University in California were arrested on Wednesday after pro-Palestine students barricaded themselves inside the school president's office, marking the latest clashes between authorities and students over the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.
Around 10 students entered the administrative offices building around 5:30 am on the last day of classes for the spring quarter, according to the student newspaper The Stanford Daily. Also, around 50 students linked arms and surrounded the building, chanting "Palestine will be free".
The group Liberate Stanford said in a post on Instagram that an "autonomous group of students" had occupied the office of the university President Richard Saller. The students have called on the school to divest from Israeli-linked companies, among other demands.
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About two hours after the demonstrations began, police forced themselves into the building using a crowbar, as per the Stanford Daily. According to the university, 13 people were arrested, one officer was injured and the building suffered "extensive" damage.
The school said that students will be suspended and seniors will not be permitted to graduate. It also removed a pro-Palestine encampment that had stood on campus since April.
"The situation on campus has now crossed the line from peaceful protest to actions that threaten the safety of our community," the school leaders wrote.
In the past few months, hundreds of students have been apprehended following protests, erecting camps, and occasionally occupying structures to denounce the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
