Sunday night and early Monday morning, April 28 & 29, an on-campus protest was held by attending students. Virginia Tech Police began removing protesters from off the campus around 10 pm.
The students were protesting the Israel-Gaza conflict. The protest seemed to be pro-Palestinian, calling for end to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Police arrived around 10:15, giving protesters 5 minutes to leave the premises or else they would be detained. When they remained, officers began cuffing with zip-ties, hauling them away.
The university urged the public to avoid the Graduate Life Center which is where the protest first took place. That night, the university released the following statement, according to WDBJ.
On Friday morning, protests began to occupy the lawn of the Graduate Life Center. Virginia Tech officials informed the protestors that the gathering was in violation of University Policy 5000 (University Facilities Usage and Events). Virginia Tech values free speech and the protestors’ right to be heard, but only if the rights of others and public safety can be assured.
— Virginia Tech
Many other protests have taken place similar to this one. Schools include University of Mary Washington and George Washington University. Forms of them include sit-ins, boycotts, or confrontations with police or couterprotestors.
For Jewish students though, these moments have been extremely gut wrenching. While some have joined or even led protest movements calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, others have reported feeling threatened or unsafe near pro-Palestinian protests.
Police have not released any further information regarding those who were detained.
