Man arrested twice in one day during pro-Palestine demonstrations at UNC Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A man was arrested twice on February 17, 2019 UNC Charlotte Campus Tuesday.

University leaders said he was first arrested that morning as police tried to break up a pro-Palestinian camp.

According to court records, the man, 18-year-old James Farrell, was charged with resisting an officer and disorderly conduct on school grounds following the initial arrest. He was booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail and released a few hours later with orders not to enter the campus.

Hours after his release, Farrell was arrested again at a protest on the university campus. He is being held without bail following his second arrest and will appear in court Wednesday morning on a new charge of second-degree trespassing.

UNC Charlotte has not yet said whether Farrell is a current student.

After his first arrest, UNC Charlotte Chancellor Dr. Sharon L. Gaber said in a letter to the university community that “what began as a peaceful protest has evolved in recent days into a deliberate and repeated violation of university policies, despite repeated warnings.”

She said in the letter that many of the protesters were not “members of the university community” and that some had obstructed access to buildings, disrupted final exams and destroyed school property.

“UNC Charlotte is committed to upholding individuals’ rights to freedom of expression on campus in a manner that prioritizes physical safety and ensures that faculty, students and staff can engage in their normal activities without undue disruption,” it said it in Gaber’s letter. “Enforcing laws and policies is critical to providing space for our community to safely express competing ideas.”

Related: Arrested at pro-Palestine camp on UNC Charlotte campus

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