Several buildings at the University of Minnesota will remain closed Tuesday as an anti-Israel encampment continues to disrupt campus life during finals week.
Protests at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus have been ongoing since last Tuesday amid a wave of nationwide college protests demanding universities divest from Israel.
Protesters at the University of Minnesota set up a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on Northrop Mall Monday evening, ignored multiple dispersal orders, and remained on the mall through the night, according to videos posted online.
The encampment has made it through the night! For the first time since this began last week, protestors held the line, defended the tents, and made it to morning. Update footage from the camp: pic.twitter.com/gthzoAC98h
— Watch Dog UMN (@WatchDogUMN) April 30, 2024
One video showed protesters locking arms and surrounding the encampment following the first dispersal order.
Students at the U of M locking arms around an anti-Israel encampment on campus after a dispersal order was issued pic.twitter.com/5HatSF8Cnd
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) April 30, 2024
A social media account called Watchdog UMN monitored the protests throughout the night and posted video from a Students for Justice in Palestine livestream in which one protester appeared to state: “Bring them home to Germany. Go back home to Poland.”
New footage from the @UMNews encampment, @SJP_UMN live stream, where you can hear the protestors recording clearly saying: “bring them home to Germany. Go back home to Poland.”
You have GOT to be kidding me. pic.twitter.com/smNo8THH3O
— Watch Dog UMN (@WatchDogUMN) April 30, 2024
One of the protests on campus last week featured the flag of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is a designated terrorist organization.
The university said in an alert Tuesday morning that 12 buildings that closed Monday at 2 p.m. will remain closed throughout the day Tuesday.
PERMANENT ENCAMPMENT DAY 2 SCHEDULE!!
This morning – Study time and breakfast
2:00 PM – Rally at the encampment
4:00 PM – Marshall Training and art build
6:00 PM – Study time and dinnerStop by to study and hold space as we continue to demand UMN divestment from Israel. pic.twitter.com/cd8XjnDIeb
— UMN Divest (@DivestUMN) April 30, 2024
“We are working diligently to balance practical safety and operations needs with our commitment to upholding freedom of expression through peaceful and lawful public discourse and protest,” the school said in an email to students and faculty. “We will continue to communicate if any future building access changes are necessary.”
Vince Diaz, who identified himself as a faculty member, spoke to protesters at the encampment Monday evening.
“The truth report points out that this university is built on dispossessed and stolen lands. We make that connection to Palestine,” he said.
Crime Watch Minneapolis obtained pamphlets that were reportedly distributed at the University of Minnesota encampment, which explicitly call for escalation.
“Protesting injustice is designed to place people in positions of risk. However, we assume a position of risk to topple a regime of structural violence,” the pamphlet says.
5/
Understanding the mindset of those who wish you harm and want you d𝚎ad is critical to keeping yourself safe. pic.twitter.com/W0KRP8nce7— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) April 30, 2024
“As such, the Palestinian Resistance — the people who are on the ground fighting and dying — are calling for amerikan [sic] students to escalate. It is our duty to heed their call.”
Last week, the university shut down the first iteration of the encampment, saying it was a violation of school policy and state trespassing law. Nine people were arrested in connection to that encampment.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
