Palo Alto, CA : In a dramatic escalation of campus activism, pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the office of Stanford University President Richard Saller early Wednesday morning, June 5, 2024. The protest, led by the group Liberate Stanford and supported by the National Students for Justice in Palestine, resulted in 13 arrests and extensive damage to the university’s administrative building.
Key Events and Details
Protest Start
- Date and Time: The protest began around 5:30 a.m. on June 5, 2024.
- Participants: Approximately ten students barricaded themselves inside the president’s office using bike chains and zip ties. About 50 other students linked arms and surrounded the building, chanting slogans like "Palestine will be free".
Demands
- Main Demands: The demonstrators demanded the university divest from companies providing material support to Israel's military actions in Gaza and called for amnesty for their actions .
Police Response
- Action: The Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies responded swiftly, breaking a glass window to gain entry.
- Arrests: Police arrested the protesters within two hours. One public safety officer was injured during the confrontation and had to be removed on a stretcher.
Damage - Extent: The building sustained significant damage, with anti-Israel and anti-police graffiti defacing both its interior and exterior.
University Statement
Spokesperson: Stanford spokesperson Dee Mostofi stated, "This was not a peaceful protest, and actions such as what occurred this morning have no place at Stanford. We will work with law enforcement to ensure that those responsible face the full consequences of the law" .
Group Statement
Condemnation: Liberate Stanford criticized the actions of the vandals but insisted on the demands for divestment, affirming that these actions: “do not represent our voice, and we are focused on peaceful protest” .
Context
Broader Movement: The protest is not an isolated incident and is witnessed to be part of the anti-Semitic protests trending in various universities and colleges across the United States. This comes in the wake of a raid by the Hamas on the southern part of Israel on October 7, 2023, and which led to conflicts in Gaza. The action at the Stanford has again proved memories of freedom of speech as well as analysis of activism during times of heightened political partisanship .