Police Clear UVa Protest Encampments, Arrest Anti-War Protesters

[Webster]

Charlottesville Daily Progress: Police raid UVa encampment, arrest anti-war protesters

Days of quiet, peaceful protest came to a chaotic and violent end Saturday afternoon as Virginia State Police stormed an encampment of anti-war protesters at the University of Virginia.

State police sporting tactical gear and riot shields moved in on the demonstrators, using tear gas and sheer force to disperse the group and arrest the roughly 15 or so at the camp, where for days students, faculty and community members had sang songs, read poetry and painted signs in protest of Israel’s ongoing war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.

As of press time Saturday evening, those protesters that had not been taken into custody had been pushed away from the plot of land by the University Chapel where they had been based and into street, where a flood of supporters were pouring in. What had started as a quiet and rain-drenched protest of a meager 15 Saturday morning was a vocal and angry crowd of nearly 100 Saturday evening.

After days of an almost picnic-like protest and minimal police presence, the sudden and swift arrival of the militant Virginia State Police appears to have been in direct response to the protesters’ decision to pitch tents on UVa Grounds Friday evening ahead of rain.

University officials had been explicit that tents are prohibited without first being approved by the administration. According to UVa policy, all tents must receive final approval before being assembled on Grounds. But that same policy includes a link to a document which says that “Recreational tents for camping are exempt.” That clause was quietly removed Saturday morning, hours before police made arrests.

University spokesman Brian Coy told The Daily Progress that the document was merely “guidance” and that it was updated to reflect official policy. Coy said the document was not outdated, “just wrong.”

He said he believed it was not until Saturday morning that university officials noticed the “guidance” document contradicted the official policy. Demonstrators first started to congregate on Grounds Tuesday, the last day of spring semester classes. “Anyone who has been involved in this encampment or any other demonstration has been advised of our policy,” Coy said, pointing out that shortly after the encampment began, tents were raised but then disassembled by the protesters. “They put up then took them down because they were made aware that [tents] were outside of our policy. They then made the decision to violate that policy.”

A faculty member affiliated with the encampment cited that clause, telling The Daily Progress that recreational tents are permitted on campus. “We pointed it out to them for three days. Faculty have been deescalating, deescalating, deescalating,” she said.

The faculty member said the protest had been calm and peaceful until state police were called in on Saturday. She claims that decision was made by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and UVa President Jim Ryan. Neither the governor’s office nor the Virginia State Police responded to multiple inquiries from The Daily Progress Saturday. A personal inquiry from Daily Progress editor Reynolds Hutchins to Ryan’s office and the UVa communications team also went unanswered.

 

[NeoMetallix]

They should stop calling these anti-war protests.

 

[Webster]

They should stop calling these anti-war protests.

*deadpans* Well, what are they protesting then, pray tell?
In favor of war?

 

[NeoMetallix]

Most of these protests are hijacked by Marxist anarchists that just want to burn down everything.

 

[Webster]

that just want to burn down everything.

Like Trump supporters?

 

[Dead2009]

Like Trump supporters?

Someone forgot the riots during the Black Lives Matter movement that was supposed to be peaceful protests lol. They definitely werent Trump supporters.

 

[+paradox]

protesting and taking over/creating encampments are two different things...

 

[DrLeftover]

The 'protesters' don't have any idea what Hamas would do to them.

The protesters aren't Palestinian, they're not Muslim, and if they are Muslim, they're the wrong kind of Muslim, so Hamas would.... ....

 

[MrDawn]

They should stop calling these anti-war protests.

I find it unbelievable how the media gets protests and rioting confused. The two are not the same.