Green Party 2024 presidential candidate Jill Stein was arrested at Washington University in St. Louis during a pro-Palestinian protest Saturday.
Stein, her campaign manager Jason Call, and deputy campaign manager Kelly Merrill-Cayer were among the at least 80 protesters arrested at the campus encampment. Washington University’s protest is one of dozens unfolding across college campuses in the United States in recent days.
“The demand from the encampment was specifically for the university to divest from Boeing, which manufactures munitions used in the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza at their nearby St Charles facility,” Call said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“The Stein campaign supports the demands of the students and their peaceful protest and assembly on campus. Student protest for peace and civil liberties has always represented the best part of our collective moral conscience. Solidarity,” The statement said.
Washington University confirmed that more than 80 protesters were arrested, saying in a statement that “It quickly became clear through the words and actions of this group that they did not have good intentions on our campus and that this demonstration had the potential to get out of control and become dangerous. When the group began to set up a camp in violation of university policy, we made the decision to tell everyone present that they needed to leave.”
The statement continued, “All will face charges of trespassing and some may also be charged with resisting arrest and assault, including for injuries to police officers.”
It is unclear if Stein will face any charges, but her campaign’s communications director previously told CNN that they were not aware of “any charges at this time.”
According to one video, police used a bicycle to push against Stein and the other protesters. Stein called the use of force “shameful.”
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Across the U.S., thousands of college students have set up encampments on their campuses, calling for a divestment from Israel, which has increased tensions on campus as some have turned anti-semitic. The University of Southern California has canceled its main graduation ceremony due to campus unrest. At Columbia University, classes were moved to a hybrid format for the remainder of the semester.