PVCC nurses in limbo after being denied access to arrest on May 4

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The future of one of the 27 people arrested during the May 4 pro-Palestinian protests at UVA is uncertain after she was denied access to the grounds.

Most of the stay-at-home orders issued after the arrest were lifted or modified, but not for Mustafa Abdelhamid, a Middle Eastern immigrant and asylum seeker. The nursing student at Piedmont Virginia Community College was scheduled to begin an internship at UVA Medical Center on May 28, 2024.

Abdelhamid, who has no criminal record and was granted political asylum in 2023, said he was making a Door Dash delivery to the Rotunda when he was caught in the scuffle between protesters and police. The 35-year-old earned a medical degree in his home country and hopes to eventually complete a medical residency and earn a medical doctorate in the U.S. But on Friday he received a letter from UVA Health telling him his internship had been revoked. He now plans to file a lawsuit against the university, claiming he was treated unfairly based on his race.

More than 800 people have signed a petition urging UVA President Jim Ryan, Police Chief Tim Longo and two other university officials to lift the restriction entirely. So far, neither President Ryan nor Police Chief Longo have responded to media inquiries.