A woman who majored in theater at Arizona State University broke down in tears to a local reporter after learning she would not be able to graduate after being arrested for refusing to leave an anti-Israel camp on campus.
Brianna Blocker, 21, was arrested on April 27, along with 20 other students and “dozens” of others who were not students or teachers, for illegally camping as a form of protest.
Dozens of extremists arrested in Arizona @ASU April 27th at an illegal camp in Gaza. Most are neither students nor faculty, administrators said.
Ian Sherwood
Hadi Aziz
Joseph Britton
Fahim Saadat pic.twitter.com/SBeAIaC4jN— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 28, 2024
All 20 students who were arrested were suspended from school; filed a lawsuit The Arizona Daily Independent reported that he has filed a lawsuit with the Arizona State Board of District Court seeking to revoke the injunction, citing violation of free speech rights.
The suspension means Mr. Blocker and other students will miss their final exams and will not be able to graduate.
Their case was dismissed this week, and Blocker broke down in tears during a post-court interview with ABC15 that went viral online.
WATCH: We spoke with ASU senior Brianna Blocker outside the courthouse. She said she would not be able to graduate because her suspension would prevent her from taking the final exam. pic.twitter.com/FKGaMuzOt7
— Ben Brown (@bdbrown473) May 4, 2024
“I’m now limited by a lot of things that I never expected to stand up for what I believe in,” the senior said with tears in his eyes.
“I’m going to have to tell them not to come to my graduation because I have family coming,” she told local reporter Ben Brown, before going on to say that she won’t be attending her 2020 high school graduation, presumably because of the coronavirus. I lamented the fact that I couldn’t walk. limit.
“I graduated high school in 2020, so I couldn’t walk then, and I still can’t walk,” Blocker complained.
Asked whether she would have protested had she known the outcome, Blocker said she would have protested again “even if it meant something negative for me.”
ASU officials defended the decision to arrest the demonstrators because the encampment had become “just a protest.”
“Multiple violations of university or ABOR policies, including use of tents, overnight stays, causing disturbances on campus, and being in reservable spaces not reserved by ASU students in accordance with policy,” the school said online. There was,” he said. statement It was viewed by Blaze and has now been removed from the public web page.
“The unlawful assembly continued well past the policy-mandated 11 p.m. hour,” the officials continued, insisting that the protesters had been warned before being arrested.
ASU’s top priority is to create a safe and secure environment for everyone on campus. This includes addressing the safety of individuals who come to campus to speak, listen, protest, or counter protests. After a day of debating the need to clear the encampment, the demonstrators, most of whom were not students, announced at least 20 times over loudspeakers that the encampment was an illegal assembly and must be dispersed or arrested. I was told. People were also warned throughout the day about possible legal, student code of conduct, and academic repercussions.
Video from the encampment before it was cleared shows hundreds of protesters and dozens of tents refusing to leave campus.
Pro-Palestinian protests broke out on ASU’s Tempe campus this weekend, resulting in dozens of arrests after a camp of 250 people was dispersed. These protests reflect a broader movement across U.S. college campuses. 📢✊
Please register to vote using the link in the profile! 📹 @az_resist pic.twitter.com/P7z8k6xHAr
— CORAZÓN (@CORAZONA Arizona) May 2, 2024
