GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – Nine people appeared in an Alachua County courtroom on Tuesday to face charges stemming from a protest over the Israel-Hamas war on the University of Florida (UF) campus.
Pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses across the country are calling on universities to divest their ties with companies supporting Israel.
Last week, about 50 people began protesting at the Plaza of the Americas which is located outside the UF library in the heart of the campus.
University officials warned that students could face suspension, as well as a ban from campus for three years and employees could be fired if they violated a series of rules.
On Monday, university police and state troopers arrested six students, one teaching assistant and two people who work at a retail store near the Gainesville campus.
Their charges range from failure to obey a lawful command and resisting without violence to trespass after warning. Some were also charged with wearing a hood or mask on public property. One protester, Allan Frasheri, also faces a felony charge of battery on a law enforcement officer. The University of Florida Police Department (UFPD) says Frasheri spit on an officer.
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said police gave protesters multiple warnings about the university’s rules for demonstrating and gave them multiple opportunities to comply. Orlando issued the following statement in response to the arrests:
“This is not complicated: The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children — they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they’ll face the consequences. For many days, we have patiently told protesters — many of whom are outside agitators — that they were able to exercise their right to free speech and free assembly. And we also told them that clearly prohibited activities would result in a trespassing order from UPD (barring them from all university properties for three years) and an interim suspension from the university.”
According to UF’s Division of Student Life, the list of prohibited protest items and activities includes unmanned signs, amplified sound, demonstrations inside buildings, camping, sleeping, littering, blocking ingress/egress, and violence among other things. The policy can be viewed here.
Outside the courthouse, a group congregated to express frustration about the arrests.
Laila Fakhoury, a pro-Palestinian protester, believes UF handled the situation poorly.
“I think that they’re just taking on a trend of other university’s that are cracking down on free speech and discriminating against people who are trying to express support, specifically for Palestine,” said Fakhoury. “It’s shameful that the University doesn’t stand with its students. Instead, the university is going against their students, arresting their students, and not allowing them to finish their degrees when they’re practicing their right to free speech in a free speech zone on campus.”
Another pro-Palestinian supporter, who preferred to stay anonymous, believes that these arrests were a violation of their First Amendment right.
“Students have a right to protest on their campuses, and at the time of the arrests, we were being peaceful,” the individual said. “They (UFPD) were not being clear about what exactly they were enforcing.”
Eight of the nine protesters were released following Tuesday hearing. Due to the felony charge, the judge set a $5,000 bond for Frasheri.