On May 1, 2024, the University of Arizona Police Department (UAPD), together with the Tucson Police Department, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, used pepper balls and rubber bullets to disperse pro-Palestine protesters who established encampment at the University of Arizona (UA). Four people were arrested, including two students.
On April 29, the UA Students Against Apartheid, established a Gaza solidarity encampment on the University of Arizona Mall. About 60 students and community activists joined the protest, chanting, singing songs, and giving speeches, demanding the university disclose its investments, divest from corporations associated with Israeli military actions, and call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Video footage shows that a group of counter-protesters also gathered in the mall.
During the afternoon, university police warned protesters that they would be arrested for trespassing if they did not disperse before 10:30 p.m. All of the protesters complied that night.
The following day on April 30, protesters again gathered at the main entrance of the university. The protesters barricaded their protest using sheet metal, wooden planks, and tarps – an action that UA stated was in violation of its policy on campus use. As the protest grew, the UAPD requested assistance from the Tucson Police Department, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety to disperse the protesters. The University and members of law enforcement issued several warnings to the protesters, instructing them to leave the area by 10:30 p.m. or face arrest.
Shortly after 10:30 pm, police, clad with riot gear, entered the encampment and declared that any remaining protesters would be arrested for unlawful assembly. Police used pepper balls and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Four individuals were arrested on charges of criminal trespass – and, in one case aggravated assault against a police officer – including one undergraduate student, one graduate student, and two unaffiliated individuals. All four were released later the same day.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about use of force by police against students peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression—conduct that is expressly protected by international human rights instruments and the constitution of the United States. While state authorities have the responsibility to maintain order and prevent disruption, they must refrain from the disproportionate use of force and endangerment of civilians. Similarly, university authorities should strive to prevent disruptions that inappropriately impede the functioning of higher education, while adhering to their duty to ensure academic freedom and free expression on campus. In addition to harming the immediate victims, such actions have a chilling effect on academic freedom and undermine democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://wildcat.arizona.edu/155198/news/n-palestine-encampment-police-force-04-30/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KWs29llDsM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4aLR8xtaO0
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2024/05/01/what-to-know-about-pro-palestinian-protest-at-university-
https://www.kold.com/2024/05/02/four-protesters-arrested-following-incident-university-arizona/
https://news.arizona.edu/news/message-president-robbins-april-29-30-campus-demonstrations
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2024/05/01/what-to-know-about-pro-palestinian-protest-at-university-of-arizona/73532255007/