About a dozen protesters were arrested on Monday at the University of Minnesota after occupying an administrative building, university officials said.
The demonstration in support of Palestinians is part of a broader wave of campus protests across the U.S. in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict, with demands for institutional divestment from Israel.
The protest triggered an alert from university officials asking people to exit the building.
“Protesters have entered Morrill Hall on the East Bank, causing property damage and restricting entrance and exit from the building,” read the message.
A general overall view of the Cyrus Northrop Memorial Auditorium on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Apr. 2, 2022. Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters occupied an administrative building on Monday at the University of Minnesota.
Kirby Lee/Getty Images
“If you are currently in Morrill Hall and able to safely exit the building, please do so immediately. Others are advised to avoid this area until further notice.”
Earlier Monday afternoon, the group shared a video to Facebook of a speaker’s announcement that its members were occupying the building but not restricting anyone from exiting or entering.
The speaker appeared in front of a large sign reading, “Money for education, not for bombs & occupation.”
Ryan Mattson, a spokesperson with the university’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, confirmed that several individuals who were part of the occupation inside the building had been taken into custody.
University officials later confirmed that 11 individuals were detained within two hours of entering Morrill Hall.
The incident, organized by student activists, saw around 30 protesters enter the administrative building, while a larger assembly demonstrated outside.
Their primary grievances included calls for the university to divest from Israel and to repeal its political neutrality agreement.
Organizers renamed the building “Halimy Hall,” commemorating Medo Halimy, a 19-year-old Palestinian TikTok content creator who reportedly died in August during an Israeli airstrike.
The Israeli military has denied awareness of the strike that killed Halimy.
Protesters came prepared with tents and supplies. Video footage shared online depicted chairs and outdoor furniture stacked in front of a window.
“The people inside aren’t going to leave until they meet our demands or they are forced to leave,” said Merlin Van Alstein, an organizer with the group, before the arrests.
According to a statement from the university, protesters spray-painted over internal security camera lenses, damaged some interior windows, and blocked exits and entrances.
Earlier this year, demonstrations erupted across college campuses, leading to universities cracking down.
Colleges have since rolled out security measures and protest guidelines to avoid similar disruptions this semester, and the tent encampments seen on many campuses in the spring have not returned.
However, students are continuing to protest amid the rising death toll in Gaza, which has resulted in what officials state is over 42,000 people killed by Israel since Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israel’s history on Oct. 7 last year, killing some 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.
The university’s homecoming week began Monday.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
