Three protesters arrested at the University of Chicago

Three protesters were arrested at the University of Chicago last week, just days after the one-year anniversary of the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Chicago Tribune. It is unclear if the individuals arrested were students.

Those arrested were part of a larger group that used locks to block access to campus at a gate on Friday afternoon, campus officials said. There, they began spray-painting buildings and public art. Two were arrested for battery to a police officer, and one for criminal damage. 

“Protesters instigated confrontations with police by physically surrounding a police car, further vandalizing and damaging property, blocking the public road, and striking police officers who responded,” the university told the Tribune in a statement.

The individuals charged had come from a larger rally hosted by UChicago United for Palestine, a student group committed to Palestinian liberation. More than 150 students, faculty and community members attended the rally, the group said in a news release and Instagram post, though it is unclear how many marched to the gate.

The university stated that while it values free speech, “University policies make it clear that protests cannot jeopardize public safety, disrupt the University’s operations, or involve the destruction of property.”