Over 60 protesters arrested at the University of Massachusetts

Police arrested more than 60 protesters on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus Tuesday evening.

Students and protesters gathered on the south lawn of the university to return to a previously evacuated camp and condemn the Israeli military for seizing the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing. Police officers were called because the camp violated school policy.

As 22News reported, protesters set up a barricade around the encampment on the south lawn of the university. They said they would not leave until their demands were met, which included pulling out of any partnerships with weapons manufacturers.

“A big thing is the abolition of war profiteering and genocide in general. There was a lot of focus on Raytheon because it is such a large arms supplier to Israel,” Sam Martinez, one of the protesters, told NHPR.

“You are not ready to listen at all, we will show you our camp and show you what we can do to demand change,” one protester reportedly shouted during the demonstration.

UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes deployed campus police to break up the encampment Tuesday evening, 22News reported. He made a statement about the demonstration and an earlier meeting with the group’s leaders.

“Today, members of my leadership team and I met with representatives of the protesters who set up an unauthorized encampment on the South Lawn of the Student Union,” Reyes said. “In more than an hour and a half, we discussed a range of demands ranging from financial divestment to the status of students’ civil litigation following the Whitmore arrests in October 2023. “I have also assured student protest leaders that I am actively reviewing the student code of conduct appeal cases related to the arrests that I have received to date.”

He also stated that none of the arrested protesters would be prosecuted.

“Furthermore, in response to students’ questions at the meeting, my team was able to clarify that there are no criminal cases pending against the students arrested in October; All violations have been reduced to civil penalties,” the statement said. “We also agreed to seek clarification on the status of these civil cases.”

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Later on Tuesday evening, videos of the confrontation between police and protesters circulated on social media platforms. One report said the university’s Students for Justice for Palestine group claimed over 130 people had been arrested.

“Wild footage as more arrests occur at UMass Amherst” Read a post on X, formerly Twitter. “UMass Amherst SJP Claims Over 130 Students Arrested.”