Auraria campus police arrested a small group of pro-Palestine protesters inside a Metropolitan State University of Denver building Tuesday night.
Approximately 14 people sat in a circle in the Advanced Manufacturing Sciences Institute, leading chants in support of Palestine as more protesters outside chanted and banged on the building, according to an Instagram livestream from the Colorado Palestine Coalition.
Following three warnings, police issued summons to the 14 protesters, including two wheelchair users, for trespassing and failing to obey lawful order, a university spokesperson said late Tuesday evening.
Most appeared to be released after about an hour, leaving the building carrying yellow pieces of paper.
Devra Ashby, the school spokesperson, said the individuals “impeded students’ access to classrooms for final exams” and their use of drums and loud chants violated the school’s student code of conduct.
“We continue to balance the legal right to free speech with the need to keep our community safe and the campus focused on teaching and learning,” Ashby said in an email. “However, this is the latest example of how the Tivoli Quad protest has escalated on campus, similar to how other protests have escalated on college campuses around the country.”
Protesters earlier in the day entered the Tivoli Student Union as Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, met with a group of protesters just before noon, Auraria and MSU officials said in statements.
Protesters meeting with Paccione threatened “to disrupt commencement ceremonies if demands were unmet,” campus officials said in a statement.
Another group “forcefully entered and occupied” executive offices at the student union for about an hour before agreeing to meet with campus leaders at another time and leaving, according to the statement.
In a message titled “Protesters escalate tactics,” Metro State President Janine Davidson incorrectly stated that protesters used zip ties to lock the doors to the student union.
Davidson later said that police, not protesters, locked the doors with zip ties.
Campus officials also claimed there was evidence of “trespassing, biohazard threats and blocked city roads” over the past few days, along with vandalism and an increase in antisemitic language and messages.
Student organizers set up an encampment on the Tivoli Quad on April 25 and pledged to stay until university officials meet their demands, including divesting from funding and programs related to Israel.
Denver and Auraria police arrested 45 people for trespassing and resisting arrest and removed tents on April 26, but protesters set the tents up again almost immediately.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Updated at 9:38 a.m. Tuesday, May 8, 2024: This article was updated to include the statement from Auraria Higher Education Center spokesperson Devra Ashby and information about the citations issued to the 14 protesters who were arrested.
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