Woman arrested at pro-Palestinian protest on lawn of Old Ada County Courthouse

BOISE, Idaho – A group of students and community members have been protesting on the lawn of the Old Ada County Courthouse near the state capitol since May 5 to call for humanity, a ceasefire and support for Palestine, while opposing genocide, war and anti-Semitism to protest.

A woman was arrested on the evening of May 10th. According to the Idaho State Police (ISP), she was arrested for failing to leave the area while law enforcement was on duty, resisting arrest, and refusing to reveal her identity.

“At 6:30 p.m. it was announced that the site was to be cleared for maintenance work. At approximately 9:45 p.m., ISP returned to the area (with assistance from BPD) and the protesters had not left. Most left the area with police presence, except the woman.” “She was put in jail because she refused to provide identification. Tents, tables and food were confiscated,” said Aaron Snell, public information officer.

One of the protesters, who did not want to be named for fear of retaliation, told KTVB that some police officers were harsh on the protesters.

“They beat a few women in the process and then two nights ago they went out in full riot gear and had an ambulance on standby. They had face masks and weapons ready,” he said.

He said they protested peacefully and police forcibly removed things, and the arrested woman tried to grab a painting before leaving the premises.

“One of my friends went to get a painting from the lawn. They tried to clear it and dragged her into the building. She was released from the county jail early this morning,” the protester said. “The last few nights on Wednesday, police forcibly removed our belongings from the capital in a raid after saying we might be there.”

ISP said Sweeps is a “somewhat misleading name.” Snell added that police have been communicating with protesters from the beginning.

“They (ISP) are patrolling the state premises and continue to do so. There were numerous discussions, clarifications and warnings. Many of our efforts are met with pushback from some, but others are interacting to learn the rules so that potential conflicts are minimized,” Snell said.

Similar protests have occurred in the United States and around the world in recent weeks, many of them on college campuses.

According to the Associated Press (AP), following Hamas’ attack on Israel, the Palestinian death toll has risen and people are now facing famine-like conditions.

“The war between Israel and Hamas has forced around 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents from their homes and caused widespread destruction in several cities. The death toll in Gaza has risen to over 34,500 people, according to local health authorities,” the AP said.

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