Protesters were arrested after blocking the property of the Indiana governor – 95.3 million people

Pro-Palestine protests have spread to Indiana, where 14 demonstrators blocked a street in front of the governor’s mansion last month. These protesters have now been charged by the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.

On Thursday, April 25, a pro-Palestinian protest gathered in Tarkington Park north of Indianapolis. The probable cause affidavit said a woman named “Erin” spoke to an Indianapolis Metro police officer and said the group had no intention of breaking the law or taking over streets.

A short time later, the group moved to Meridian Street in front of the governor’s mansion, blocking traffic. Protesters crossed their arms while others set up information tables in the middle of the street. Eventually, after several warnings from IMPD, the protest was dispersed and 14 people were arrested, including one of the organizers, Malkah Bird.

The official charge is obstruction of traffic, a Class B misdemeanor.

The other 13 people charged are as follows: Payton Emberton, Jessica Phillips, Mohammad Rashid, Susan Birndorf, Taylor Parker, Ahmad Saadeh, Brittany Rood, Ahmed Elmahdi, Brandon Schaaf, Karisa Cole, Jihad Saadeh, Omar Daas and Austin Myers.

Around the same time, a large pro-Palestinian protest and encampment began at Indiana University in Bloomington.

As of this writing, this protest in Dunn Meadow is still ongoing. Indiana State Police were involved in the early days of the protest, resulting in the arrests of students, staff and other protesters. Some of those arrested at IU received a one-year campus ban, but that is now being challenged in court by the ACLU of Indiana.

Many of the pro-Palestinian protests that have begun on college campuses across the country, including the Meridian Street protests in April, are because protesters now want U.S. colleges and universities to cut their ties to Israeli-backed companies cancel.

The demonstrators are also demanding an end to the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip and the city of Rafah. Part of the demand is that the United States end all military support to Israel.

Recently, President Joe Biden said the US would not supply certain weapons to Israel if it could not guarantee the safety of innocent people in Rafah.