Social media users said police responded more harshly to student protesters at the University of Virginia than white nationalists who rallied in 2017.
Virginia police have been slammed for violently cracking down on a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Virginia, with commenters saying the law enforcement response was more than harsh than that during the infamous 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.
Police arrested 25 demonstrators during a confrontation at the university in Charlottesville, The Associated Press reported, in the latest escalation over students‘ protests against Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza.
Students at UVA had begun their protest on a lawn outside the school chapel on Tuesday. Video from local news stations showed police in riot gear lined up on the campus on Saturday after protesters began erecting tents on Friday.
Officers in headgear and carrying shields began to clear the clear the encampment on Saturday afternoon. Videos on social media showed protesters were pushed to the ground, dragged by their arms and sprayed with chemical irritants.
University President Jim Ryan said in a message to the school community that when Tim Longo, the chief of the university police department, approached the students „reminding them once again of their university policy violations and pleading for a peaceful resolution,“ the request was ignored. Ryan said the university has a „long-standing prohibition on erecting tents absent a permit.“
Ryan said that „when UPD’s attempts to resolve the situation were met with physical confrontation and attempted assault, it became necessary to rely on assistance from the Virginia State Police.“
Police „declared an unlawful assembly, issued no-trespass orders to those who refused to disperse, and arrested those who continued to refuse dispersal,“ he added.
Ryan said he recognized that some would disagree with the decision to call in police, adding that the „entire episode was upsetting, frightening and sad“ and „an aberration.
