Students and faculty at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., are protesting in support of Palestinians in the latest wave of pro-Gaza protests on college campuses.
In a statement, officials for GWU, a private university located within 1 mile of the White House, said protesters need to move by 7 p.m. as overnight encampments are not permitted. They also said the space where the protest is being held was not a viable option for demonstrations.
“University Yard was previously reserved and is not available for demonstrations,” the statement reads. “GW Law final exams are taking place at adjacent buildings.”
University officials also said “non-GW individuals” were not permitted to demonstrate on university grounds.
The protesters included students and faculty from other schools in the D.C. metro area. People from Georgetown University, American University, George Mason University, the University of Maryland, Howard University, Gallaudet University, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County were all present, per the organizers.
“Organized by the DMV Coalition of Students for Justice in Palestine, a joint encampment has begun this morning at George Washington University Yard,” the organizers posted on Instagram. “As our people discover mass graves of our martyrs in Gaza, it is our moral imperative to disrupt business as usual for an end to institutional cooperation in genocide.”
About 30 faculty members of GWU joined the protesters on Thursday, per the university’s student newspaper, the GW Hatchet.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), a graduate of GWU, condemned the protests.
“Alumni will never allow that to happen,” Moskowitz said on X in reference to the protesters’ goals for the university to “divest financial ties with Israel.”
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According to the student newspaper, the university president, Ellen Granberg, has not been seen at the protest. Most other administrative officials have been seen observing.
Protests concerning the Israel-Hamas war have taken hold of many college campuses in recent days. Thursday, the University of Southern California canceled its commencement ceremony, citing safety concerns. This week, Columbia University moved the remainder of its classes this semester to a hybrid virtual format.