Stanford students arrested in pro-Palestinian protest that occupied presidential office
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More than a dozen people were arrested at Stanford University in California on Wednesday after pro-Palestinian student protesters barricaded themselves inside a building that houses the school’s president’s office, the latest clash between US students and authorities over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
More than a dozen people were arrested at Stanford University in California on Wednesday after pro-Palestinian student protesters barricaded themselves inside the building that houses the school’s president’s office, the latest clash between US students and authorities over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
According to the student newspaper The Stanford Daily, about 10 students entered the building at 5:30 a.m. on the last day of classes for the spring quarter, while about 50 students surrounded the building, joining hands and chanting, “Palestine will be free.”
In a post on Instagram, the group Liberate Stanford said an “autonomous group of students” occupied the office of university president Richard Saller. Among other demands, the students called on the school to divest from companies linked to Israel’s war in Gaza.
According to the Stanford Daily, police used metal rods to enter the building about two hours after the protest began.
In a statement, the school said that 13 persons who illegally entered the building were arrested.
“There is extensive damage to the interior and exterior of the building, and access to the building will be blocked for the remainder of the day,” the university said.
The newspaper reported that a reporter for the Stanford Daily was among the arrested students.
According to Gaza health officials, hundreds of students have been arrested in recent months for demonstrating, setting up camps and in some cases occupying buildings, against Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.
The Israeli operation began after Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people and left more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)