College in Detroit suspends in-person classes due to pro-Palestinian camp | Nation and World

“All on-campus events are canceled until further notice. Critical infrastructure workers are expected to report to campus,” the school said in a statement around 5:30 a.m.

Matt Lockwood, spokesman for Wayne State, said there were “public safety concerns,” particularly regarding access to certain areas.

On Tuesday, two dozen tents were set up on a grassy area near the student library. Participants crowded in as police and private security guards watched nearby. Two portable toilets were full and unusable.

“Yes, we have told the organizers several times to clear the camp and they have refused to do so,” Lockwood said.

Wayne State has 16,000 students, but fewer in the summer semester.

Protest camps have sprung up across the United States and Europe as students demand their universities stop doing business with Israel or with companies that support the country’s war in the Gaza Strip.

The organizers want to reinforce calls to end Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists, who began the war on October 7 with an invasion of southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage. According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, at least 36,096 Palestinians were killed in the ensuing conflict. The count does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.

Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy said senior officials offered to meet Tuesday if the camp was cleared by Monday evening, but the offer was declined. The school posted a video of the offer on YouTube.

Vice President Patrick Lindsey said Wayne State’s investment policy would be publicly discussed at a meeting of the university’s board of directors on June 26.

The University of Michigan disbanded a similar camp on May 21 after 30 days.