UVA president and police chief discuss arrests at pro-Palestinian demonstration

University of Virginia and police officers defended actions that led to the arrest of More than 25 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on campus over the weekend, even as faculty members and others criticized what they saw as an overly aggressive response.

In a virtual town hall, U-Va. Police Chief Tim Longo said Tuesday that officials offered to let protesters stay if they took down their tents and that authorities intervened Saturday only when they refused. James E. Ryan, the university’s president, said that police were confronted with “physical confrontation and attempted assault” and that officers then called the Virginia State Police.