Anti-Israel protesters at the University of Pittsburgh set up a new encampment on Sunday, erecting a fence around the encampment and pitching tents inside it.
Protesters set up an encampment outside the Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh campus in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.
According to KDKA-TV, police arrested one protester after he tried to bring a case of water into the campsite, despite police telling protesters not to bring anything.
Pitt said in a statement that the individuals arrested are not affiliated with the university and have been charged with assault, resisting arrest and obstruction.
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Anti-Israel protesters at the University of Pittsburgh set up a new campsite Sunday. (iStock)
“At approximately 6 p.m. on June 2, two Oakland demonstrations converged on the lawn of the Cathedral of Learning,” a university spokesperson told Triblive. “Groups of protesters quickly erected wooden barricades, fences and tent structures and announced their intention to re-establish a Gaza solidarity camp before authorities’ public security teams could intervene.”
Due to the large number of protesters, the University of Pittsburgh Police Department requested assistance from other police departments, including the Pittsburgh Police Department, Allegheny County Police and Pennsylvania State Police.
University of Pittsburgh police announced Sunday on “X,” the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the Cathedral of Learning and William Pitt Union are “closed due to a public disturbance.”
Police are urging residents to avoid the area and have set up barricades around the encampment.
“The camp/sit-in at the University of Pittsburgh is taking place solely on private campus property,” a Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety spokesperson said in a statement to KDKA-TV. “Pittsburgh Police are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of everyone.”
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A University of Pennsylvania security guard stands guard over a pro-Palestinian camp on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia on April 29, 2024. (Getty Images)
Videos posted on social media by protesters showed clashes between police and demonstrators, with police and protesters seen shoving each other after an officer pushed a protester down the steps of the Cathedral of Learning. A man who protesters said was a plainclothes officer was seen kicking a protester who had been pushed to the ground.
“Pitt’s continued silence about his material investment in the ‘Israeli’ occupation continues his complicity in the genocide in Gaza,” protest organizers said in a statement on Instagram.
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The protesters also called on the University of Pittsburgh to “fully disclose the university’s investments” and to “divest the university’s funds, including endowments, from companies and organizations that profit from Israel.”
In late April, toward the end of the semester, an encampment in Schenley Plaza near the University of Pittsburgh was cleared after protesters tried to occupy the area surrounding the Cathedral of Learning, and two people were arrested by university police during the demonstration.
Anti-Israel demonstrations have been taking place on college campuses across the United States since Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, triggering Israeli military retaliation.
