WASHINGTON — The police evicted on Wednesday a camp of pro-Palestinian protesters who had been protesting for days at George Washington University in the US capital, and made several arrests, authorities reported.
The police entered the campus shortly after 04:00 local time (0800 GMT). Officers used pepper spray and arrested a group of protesters, the university newspaper GW Hatchet reported.
According to the police, 33 people were arrested for “intrusion” and “attack on a police officer.”
Officers remained at the scene until mid-morning, when there was still a lone protester holding a sign that said “Free Palestine.” The tents were removed by a garbage truck.
The police operation was carried out hours before a summons to Congress by Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Pamela Smith to explain why they were delaying dismantling the camp, set up more than a week ago.
But his appearance was canceled after the police intervention on campus. “I am pleased that the summons to a hearing has led to action” by the two officials, said MP James Comer in a statement.
In April, the Washington Police Department had denied a request from the university to dismantle an encampment. This Wednesday he explained that he had initially tried to “de-escalate tensions” without the need to make arrests, but that he confirmed based on “incidents and information” that, on the contrary, “the volatility of the protest was increasing,” it was justified through of a statement.
Demonstrations against the war in Gaza have multiplied in dozens of universities in the United States in recent weeks, promoted by left-wing groups, some linked to the Cuban regime.
Students have criticized what they see as a heavy-handed response to their protests, some of which are violent and have caused damage to buildings.
At the same time, President Joe Biden denounced the “ferocious rise” of anti-Semitism on Tuesday, in a speech on Capitol Hill in which he emphasized that “there is no place in any university in the United States, anywhere in the United States, for “anti-Semitism or hate speech or violence of any kind.”
The Biden administration is trying to maintain a complex balance between respecting free speech and responding to complaints of intimidation against Jews.
Source: With information from AP
