George Washington University officials released a statement that said they would not tolerate “hateful language” and declared that the student encampment protesting the Israel–Gaza war on University Yard violated the rules of conduct and behavior.
“The encampment on University Yard violates our clearly defined rules of conduct and behavior. Further, the actions of some protesters(sic) have been highly offensive to many members of our community. The protest is jeopardizing our ability to meet the priorities of our university community, and the hateful language being displayed has no place on our campus,” President Ellen Granberg and Provost Chris Bracey said in a joint statement on Sunday.
Granberg and Bracey stated that they are “dedicated to protecting” the rights to activism and free expression but said that these two things are “not unlimited.”
The officials shared in their statement that demonstrators refused to move to a “secure alternate location” at Anniversary Park that would help the university continue to conduct business despite clearing efforts from the Metropolitan Police Department.
The university reportedly suspended seven protesters on Friday for the University Park demonstration, issuing nine charges of misconduct per person.
On Sunday night, after the university tried to relocate the Israel-Gaza war protesters, more than 200 protesters pushed down the barricades and reoccupied University Yard.
“Last night, the crowd was, like, we need real liberation, and we dismantled the barriers,” sophomore Selina al Shihabi said to a local NBC television news station. “And just the feeling, you know, the energy of finally feeling free. I mean, it’s a fraction of what the people of Gaza are going through.”
Students were seen at 2 a.m. Monday dancing hand-in-hand around the torn-down barricades in a circle while they chanted to the beat of a drum, “We’re not leaving!”
On Monday, the students spent their fifth day of protests in defiance of the university’s rules.
“This is an egregious violation of community trust and goes far beyond the boundaries of free expression and the right to protest,” the updated university statement read. “The university will use every avenue available to ensure those involved are held accountable for their actions.”
While pushing for their freedom of expression on campus, numerous protesters were seen attempting to block media from covering their encampments.
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Other students from around the Washington, D.C., area have joined in GWU’s protest, including Howard University students.
The base of the statue for President George Washington, the university’s namesake, has been seen in protest photos as vandalized with spray paint with the words “Free Gaza.” Another statue at the center of the protests had a Palestinian flag draped on Washington.