Police in California arrested more than a dozen pro-Palestine demonstrators on Wednesday after they barricaded themselves in the office of the Stanford University president to protest the war in Gaza, according to university and law enforcement officials.
The pro-Palestine group entered President Richard Saller’s office at around 5:30am in the latest campus protest action designed to jolt university administrators into divesting from Israel amid its ongoing fight against Hamas. Wearing keffiyehs and masks, the “autonomous group” of Stanford students and alumni occupied the office on campus and refused to leave “until Stanford Administration and the Stanford Board of Trustees meet our demands and take action to address their role in enabling and profiting from the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” according to a statement from the group on Wednesday morning.
But campus police and Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputies regained control of the building within roughly three hours, according to Stanford spokesperson Dee Mostofi, who said in a statement:
“This morning, a group of individuals unlawfully entered Building 10, which houses the offices of the president and provost. Law enforcement has arrested 13 individuals, and the building has been cleared."
Mostofi added that there was “extensive damage” to the interior of the office as well as the exterior of buildings in the quad, which were defaced with graffiti reading “death to Israel” and “kill cops.”
A public safety officer was also injured after being “shoved by protesters who were interfering with a transport vehicle,” Mostofi said.
"We are appalled that our students chose to take this action and we will work with law enforcement to ensure that they face the full consequences allowed by law. All arrested students will be immediately suspended and in case any of them are seniors, they will not be allowed to graduate."
Repeating the demands made by pro-Palestine student protesters across US campuses, the group called for divestment from companies – including Hewlett-Packard, Lockheed Martin and Chevron — that they say provide support to the Israeli military operations in Gaza.
The protesters also demanded that Dr. Saller disclose all of Stanford’s endowment holdings and grant amnesty to pro-Palestine student activists who were subject to disciplinary and criminal charges for their part in campus demonstrations.
In its statement, the group said Stanford administration has repeatedly refused to negotiate with protesters over their demands and accused the university of using students’ tuition “to fund apartheid and genocide.”
“As students, we should be spending our finals season studying for exams, preparing our summer plans or reminiscing the end of another school year. Instead, we are forced to protest,” the statement said.
Wednesday marks the final day of spring term classes for Stanford students, with graduation ceremonies set to take place on 15-16 June.
