Christian Smith
(NewsNation) – There were 33 people arrested, 11 of them students, at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where police used pepper spray to clear a pro-Palestinian camp set up on campus Wednesday.
A NewsNation analysis of police data shows that four people were arrested on suspicion of assault on a police officer, while 29 were charged with unlawful entry.
All those arrested were cited and released, prosecutors said, although some appeared to have spent time in police facilities. Prosecutors will ultimately decide whether or not any of these people will face formal charges.
Although NewsNation data shows that only a third of those arrested were enrolled at GW, the George Washington University protest was made up of students from several area schools, so it is unclear whether some of those arrested were students at other universities.
Police have since set up barricades to ensure protesters do not set up additional camps.
Politicians and protesters respond
Washington, D.C., city officials, including Mayor Muriel Bower, a Democrat, were expected to appear before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to account for their handling of the 2 week protest.
However, this was canceled following Wednesday’s crackdown on protesters, with the committee chairman and other Republican lawmakers welcoming the police action. House Speaker Mike Johnson said, however, “It should not be necessary to threaten to take the mayor of DC to Congress to keep Jewish students at George Washington University safe.”
Democratic Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., condemned the police raid outside the U.S. Capitol, where GW students spoke about what happened during the raid, according to the Washington Post.
“They think they can intimidate and erase the overwhelming voices for peace and justice,” Bush said. “They think they can arrest dissidents and silence the broad consensus among the people of this country that there should be an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
Bowser said she and Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith decided to evacuate the camp due to signs that “the protest was becoming more volatile and less stable.”
But Moataz Salim, a Palestinian student at George Washington who has family in Gaza, said authorities just “destroyed a beautiful community space that was all about love.”
“Less than 10 hours ago, I was pepper-sprayed and assaulted by police,” he said at a press conference. “And why? Because we decided to set up some tents, carry out community activities and learn from each other. We built something incredible. We built something revolutionary.”
Tensions rose in standoffs with protesters from the Israel-Hamas war on campuses across the United States and increasingly in Europe. Some colleges cracked down immediately, while others tolerated the demonstrations.
Although some have expressed concern that criticism of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, has turned into anti-Semitism, the student protesters have stressed that Jewish students have been part of their cause and that those who spew hate do not represent them.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
