Cal Poly Humboldt shut down its campus April 22 after pro-Palestine protesters barricaded themselves inside a building, which led to the arrest of three students.
Several dozen demonstrators gathered and barricaded themselves inside Siemens Hall that evening in protest over the Israel-Hamas war.
Protesters inside the building set up tents, while others also gathered outside the building, displaying a banner that read “stop the genocide” and chanting, “Free Palestine!”
They are calling for a ceasefire in the war, which began Oct. 7 with Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people and the taking of 253 hostages.
Since then, Israeli strikes have killed approximately 33,600 Palestinians and injured more than 76,200, Palestine’s Ministry of Health reported earlier this month. Some hostages have been released, but at least 32 have been reportedly killed in captivity.
On Monday night, several police officers attempting to get inside the building clashed with protesters, who set up a barricade of chairs and classroom furniture and pushed the officers out of the building with the force of the crowd.
“The campus community is advised to avoid the area of the building, as it is a dangerous and volatile situation,” the university said in its first announcement, adding that it’s “deeply concerned about the safety of the protesters who have barricaded themselves inside the building.”
The school is just one across the country where protests have occurred, including most recently on the campuses of Columbia University in New York City and Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut.
