Police install fencing around former GW encampment, where school says 6 students were arrested
Fencing has been installed around the George Washington University’s University Yard following the Wednesday clearing of the encampment occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters for nearly two weeks.
Police said 33 protesters were arrested during the clearing. The university said in a statement later Thursday that six of those arrested were students.
The fence barriers, standing over 10 feet tall, resemble those put in place around the Capitol building after the January 6, 2021 insurrection — and are now blocking all entrances of University Yard.
It is unclear how long the fences are expected to remain around the area.
When asked at a Wednesday news conference whether the encampment clearing meant there would be no more protests on GW’s campus, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said it was university President Ellen Granberg’s decision “to determine if she will allow protests in other areas of the campus.”
Smith said that no protests will take place in the now-secured area.
The encampment, which had been in place for 13 days, was cleared early Wednesday morning by officers that deployed pepper spray and arrested 33 protesters who police said refused to vacate after six warnings.
Smith said there were many indicators that the protests were becoming more volatile, outlining intelligence that officers had been collecting over the days leading up to Wednesday. One of the concerning indicators Smith mentioned was that non-students were joining the protests on campus and had been found in secure campus buildings.
Granberg also said in a statement over the weekend that the protest had “been co-opted by individuals who are largely unaffiliated with our community and do not have our community’s best interest in mind.”
Earlier Thursday, police Deputy Director of Communications Paris Lewbel confirmed to WTOP that “11 of the arrestees identified themselves as George Washington University students.” Arrest records show that the 33 arrested protesters ranged in age from 18 to 33 years old, with most of them college-age.
PHOTOS: See how the GW University pro-Palestinian protest evolved
Tensions have continued to ratchet up in standoffs with protesters on campuses across the U.S. — and increasingly, in Europe — nearly three weeks into a movement launched by a protest at Columbia University in New York.
Some colleges cracked down immediately on protests against the Israel-Hamas war. Among those that have tolerated the tent encampments, some universities have begun to lose patience and call in police over concerns about disruptions to campus life, safety and the involvement of nonstudents.
Since April 18, just over 2,600 people have been arrested on 50 campuses, according to figures based on reporting by The Associated Press and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.
The Associated Press and WTOP’s Emily Venezky and Cheyenne Corin contributed to this report.