Police at UNC Chapel Hill detain at least 30 anti-Israel protesters, crowds try to force into buildings Fox News Danielle Wallace
https://www.aol.com/news/police-unc-chapel-hill-detain-174055542.html
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill confirmed approximately 30 anti-Israel demonstrators were detained Tuesday morning for refusing to leave an encampment protest set up on campus.
At 5:30 a.m., UNC Chapel Hill administrators shared a statement from Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts and Provost Chris Clemens advising protesters to leave the area and remove tents, tables or other items by 6 a.m. or they may face arrest and other consequences, including suspension from campus and, “ultimately, expulsion from the university, which may prevent students from graduating.”
At 6 a.m., UNC Police “calmly approached the group and detained approximately 30 people who refused to leave. During that time, the protesters attempted to block the UNC Police vehicles by standing in front of them and throwing items at officers. Polk Place was cleared in approximately 45 minutes. Afterwards, UNC Facilities cleared the area of significant debris,” the university said in a statement. “After the area was cleared, the remaining protesters escalated their tactics, attempting to forcibly enter South Building by pushing officers and refusing to comply with requests from Facilities and UNC Police.”
“For the last several months, we have spoken regularly and respectfully with the demonstrators on our campus, consistently supporting their right to assemble and express their views. We have also clearly communicated the University’s long-standing policies on the use of shared public spaces. We have been clear that students and community members can assemble and make their voices heard, but University policies must be followed,” Roberts and Clemens said. “We respect and support the rights of peaceful protesters. While anyone – including students, faculty and staff – may gather and exercise their rights to free speech, state law and the Board of Governors policy prohibit disruption of University operations. This commitment to free speech and the policies for demonstrating are shared at the beginning of each academic semester.”
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