Early Tuesday morning, police in riot gear moved in to clear an anti-Israel encampment at the University of Chicago. The encampment had been set up on campus for over a week, prompting the university to take action.
Protesters, who had locked arms, faced off against officers called in by the university to disperse the encampment. A video on social media showed police giving a final notice to the students participating in the protest, warning them to leave or face arrest for criminal trespass.
The notice also mentioned that failure to comply would result in disciplinary action as outlined in the Student Manual, including immediate placement on emergency interim leave of absence from the university.
Throughout the night, campus police surrounded the quad and began removing tents while announcing over loudspeakers that anyone remaining in the encampment would be arrested.
In a statement on Tuesday, University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos explained that the university's intervention was driven by safety concerns and escalating risks that made the situation untenable.
Alivisatos stated that protesters were given the opportunity to dismantle their structures and leave the encampment without facing arrests. However, disciplinary action would be taken where appropriate.
He further elaborated that despite efforts to find common ground with the encampment representatives over several days, certain demands were incompatible with the university's commitment to institutional neutrality, leading to the impasse.
Alivisatos emphasized that while the university values dissenting voices, it cannot allow a situation where the expression of some disrupts the community's functioning for others.
