CLEVELAND — Case Western Reserve University has announced that the protest that has been taking place on school grounds regarding the Israel-Hamas war since Monday is "no longer approved."
In a statement to 3News on Thursday, the university says that "the organizers of the protest on university private property broke the temporary guidelines originally agreed upon, including permitting third parties not currently affiliated with CWRU to remain on campus outside of predetermined hours."
Case officials add that "the protesters’ continued presence and occupation is considered trespassing and is a violation of university policies. Students, faculty or staff who break such policies will be held accountable through the respective conduct process. These actions may also result in prosecution of protestors for criminal trespass and other crimes, whether or not they are affiliated with CWRU."
The school was initially going to prevent protestors from staying overnight and putting up tents, but later relented. Only students and faculty were allowed to stay through the night, with all affected being required to show a campus ID.
On Thursday evening, 3News' Bri Buckley observed that new barriers were brought in as the group continues its protest. An organizer told Buckley that their plan is to "stand their ground."
Protesters marched from the KSL Oval to the university's administration building and taped their demands to the wall.
"I really, really hope our administrators come to the table and have a conversation," Jad Oglesby, CWRU senior and protest organizer, said.
One school official told WKYC they will not forcibly remove the group unless they become violent.
"We're not going to respond to this we're," Oglesby declared. "We're going to keep doing what we've been doing, We're going to keep protesting and advocating peacefully in an orderly manner, and hopefully things get resolved."
The protest group told 3News this week that students would be occupying KSL Oval at CWRU until the administration "meets their demands to divest from the state of Israel."
On Wednesday afternoon, the student demands were revealed in an email from Palestine Task Force Cle:
- Amnesty for all students and faculty disciplined for advocating for Palestinian liberation.
- Divest all of CWRU's finances from the companies that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine including implementing Resolution 31-15.
- Disclose CWRU's investments.
- Retract remarks made against Resolution 31-15, statements in support of the Israeli government, and accusations of antisemitism towards the student body.
- Call for a permanent ceasefire and an end of the occupation of Palestine.
- Academic Boycott - cut ties with all Israeli academic institutions which includes the cancelation of all contractual agreements and projects involving Israeli academic institutions, including but not limited to study-abroad partnerships with Israeli universities.
"The interfaith, intersectional group of CWRU students are determined to hold their ground, like the over 100 student groups across the globe, until CWRU administration listens to diverse voices instead of privileging voices aligned with Zionist politics," Palestine Task Force Cle added in the email.
Here is the complete statement from Case Western Reserve University regarding the change in protest policy:
"At Case Western Reserve, we support the free exchange of ideas and viewpoints in accordance with university policies. However, after organizers of the protest on university private property broke the temporary guidelines originally agreed upon, including permitting third parties not currently affiliated with CWRU to remain on campus outside of predetermined hours, this protest is no longer approved.
"The protesters’ continued presence and occupation is considered trespassing and is a violation of university policies. Students, faculty or staff who break such policies will be held accountable through the respective conduct process. These actions may also result in prosecution of protestors for criminal trespass and other crimes, whether or not they are affiliated with CWRU.
"As always, the safety of our campus community is our highest priority. As we continue to assess the protest, we are making adjustments to campus operations, including requiring a CWRU ID to enter any campus building.
"We continue to support the rights of our students, faculty and staff to protest and express their ideas when they are in accord with university policy. But constructive dialogue—and the meaningful action that can result from it—should never involve harassment, incitement, or behavior that threatens and is intimidating to our community."
Previous Reporting:
- Protest at Case Western Reserve University amid Israel-Hamas war: Encampment on campus
- President Biden says 'order must prevail' during campus protests over the war in Gaza
- At least 200 arrested at UCLA as police clash with Israel-Hamas war protesters
- Hundreds disperse peacefully after Israel-Hamas war protest at Ohio State Wednesday evening