Authorities cracked down on pro-Palestinian protesters at Cal Poly Humboldt on April 30, clearing two buildings that had been occupied for a week and arresting more than 30 people, according to university officials.
Police began making arrests in the early morning, ending a standoff with about 100 protesters that began the previous night.
Those arrested face a range of charges, including unlawful assembly, vandalism, conspiracy, assault of police officers, and more, according to an update Tuesday by university officials.
Students could also face discipline for conduct violations, and any university employees arrested could face disciplinary action, said officials at the Northern California university.
The two buildings that had been occupied, Nelson Hall and Siemens Hall, were cleared and secured, officials said.
A hard closure of the campus remains in place through May 10, but a previous shelter-in-place order was lifted and law enforcement will continue to monitor the situation, officials said.
Tom Jackson Jr., Cal Poly Humboldt’s president, said: “It breaks my heart to see” arrests on campus.
“We’ve all watched this with great concern, and always with the sincere hope that it would be resolved peacefully,” Mr. Jackson stated in an announcement on the university’s website. . “Unfortunately, serious criminal activity that crossed the line well beyond the level of a protest had put the campus at ongoing risk.”
Protesters were calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, which began Oct. 7 with Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people and saw the taking of 253 hostages.
Since then, Israeli strikes have killed about 33,600 Palestinians and injured more than 76,200, Palestine’s Ministry of Health reported last month. Some hostages have been released, but at least 32 have reportedly been killed in captivity.
Similar protests are disrupting college and university campuses nationwide.
Students at several universities, including UCLA and Columbia University in New York, have set up protest encampments on campus.
Columbia officials said it has begun suspending students, after demonstrators defied a deadline for clearing the encampment on campus.
Since then, police presence at Columbia has grown in an attempt to quell the crowd of protesters; however, no arrests have been made as of the afternoon of April 30.
In an April 30 press conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that what should have been a peaceful protest at Columbia University “has basically been co-opted by professional outside agitators” who want to sow chaos.
Last week, USC canceled its main graduation ceremony, citing safety concerns over protests on its campus, located in Los Angeles. .
UCLA canceled all classes May 1 because of violence on Royce Quad overnight, and in Wisconsin, four police officers were injured as a protest encampment was dispersed, ABC News reported.
