Supporters of Israel and the Palestinian people are making their voices heard at MIT campus protests.
About 130 people were arrested at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UMass Amherst Tuesday night, the university said.
The encampment — one of many that to have sprung up at college campuses across Massachusetts and the country as the war in Gaza rages on — was unauthorized, according to UMass Amherst, and people involved didn't follow police orders to disperse.
The school said Wednesday morning, citing UMass Police, that 109 people had been booked and that charges for 25 more were pending. Details on the charges or when the people would be arraigned were not yet available.
Chancellor Javier Reyes said in a statement that his administration had kept up a dialogue with the protesters and refused to dismantle the encampment, despite "offers for continued civil discourse to help bridge our differences."
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"While we have told demonstrators that failure to remove the tents and barriers may result in arrests, this is not the outcome we had hoped for," Reyes said.
The UMass Board of Trustees has "unwavering support for" Reyes, Chairman Stephen Karam said in a statement.
"We have absolute confidence in his leadership, his integrity, and his commitment to our students," he continued.
ACLU of Massachusetts's leader said the free speech-promoting organization was "highly concerned" about police were brought in to clear the encampment.
"Last night in Amherst, and events on campuses across the country, make clear: When universities choose to involve police in nonviolent demonstrations, it escalates tensions and creates unacceptable safety risks for all students, faculty, and community members. Campus administrators have an obligation to protect students’ safety on campus; at the same time, they must take all necessary measures to protect students’ right to protest. Calling heavily armed police on student political expression is an inherently dangerous choice," Carol Rose, the executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, said in a statement.
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She added that other university administrators and police, including those dealing with ongoing protests at MIT and Harvard, should "show restraint and engage in dialogue and other nonviolent approaches – not force."
At MIT Wednesday, tensions ran high after supporters of Israel zip-tied Israeli flags on the fence outside the pro-Palestinian encampment.
Protesters in the encampment responded by covering their hands in red paint and slapping it onto the flags.
Administrators at MIT say they've doled out suspensions for students who remain camped out in the tents that remain on the lawn on campus.
MIT didn't give a definitive number but said there were "dozens" of interim suspensions, as well as referrals to the Committee on Discipline are now in process.
On Monday, a few hundred demonstrators ignored a deadline to abandon the tent encampment and then broke down metal barriers and reclaimed the lawn.
On Tuesday, A large group of Jewish students who had reserved the lawn months ago to celebrate the upcoming Israel Independence Day – refused the administration's request to postpone or relocate their event.
"The encampment should be taken down. We should have the freedom and the right to exist on this campus as Jews and as Israelis," said Avi Balsam, pro-Israel student.
"I think that's sort of crucial for us to be able to keep this campaign going, to recognize it's not about us as individuals, and also to understand that the more of us who come out, the harder it is to bring these kinds of punishments against students," Gabriella Martini, pro-Palestinian student.
It's unclear if MIT will be bringing additional punishments against students or try once again to fence off or remove the tents here on campus.
