An anti-Israel encampment at Detroit’s Wayne State University was cleared by police early Thursday morning, leading to clashes with authorities on campus and the arrest of at least eight protesters.
Of the eight protesters arrested, six were arrested on suspicion of trespass, one on suspicion of resisting and obstructing and one on suspicion of assaulting and assaulting a police officer, Matt Lockwood, the university’s vice president for public affairs, confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Video footage taken by news crews on campus showed protesters clashing with police in riot gear, and clean-up crews dismantling dozens of tents and carrying away bags of trash that had accumulated at the encampment.
Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy said in a statement Thursday that the encampment “presented legal, health, safety and operational challenges for our community.”
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Police broke up an anti-Israel encampment at Wayne State University on Thursday morning. (FOX2 Detroit WJBK)
“The encampment has also created an environment of exclusion, one in which some members of the campus community feel unwelcome and unable to fully participate in campus life,” Espie said.
Protesters set up a camp on campus last week to demand that the university divest its funds from Israel. (FOX2 Detroit WJBK)
Lockwood previously told Fox News Digital that university officials had repeatedly asked the protesters to leave the camp, but they had refused.
At least eight protesters were arrested, according to the university. (FOX2 Detroit WJBK)
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Protesters set up a camp on campus last week to demand that the university divest its funds from the Jewish state.
Dozens of tents have been set up on the Wayne State University campus. (FOX2 Detroit WJBK)
On Tuesday, as tensions with the encampment escalated, the university called the encampment an “ongoing public safety issue” and announced all classes would be held remotely until further notice.
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As Israel’s war with Hamas continues, other universities across the country have removed similar encampments. Last week, police removed an anti-Israel encampment at the University of Michigan, citing a fire risk.
