GWU says 'hateful language being displayed has no place' on campus amid anti-Israel protests
George Washington University reiterated after days of anti-Israel protests at the university that "hateful language being displayed has no place on our campus."
George Washington University reiterated Sunday that anti-Israel protesters on campus are violating the university's rules of conduct and behavior and emphasized that "the hateful language being displayed has no place on our campus."
President Ellen Granberg and Provost Chris Bracey said the university remains committed to protecting the right to activism and free expression of diverse viewpoints, but that those things "are not unlimited."
"Our highest priority is, and always will be, maintaining a safe campus environment that allows for the world-class academic experience our students and their families have entrusted us with providing," Granberg and Bracey said in a joint statement.
"The encampment on University Yard violates our clearly defined rules of conduct and behavior. Further, the actions of some protesters(sic) have been highly offensive to many members of our community. The protest is jeopardizing our ability to meet the priorities of our university community, and the hateful language being displayed has no place on our campus."
The university directed protesters to move to an alternate location at Anniversary Park, the statement reads, but on Thursday – the first day of the demonstration – campus police sought assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department after the demonstrators refused to relocate multiple times.
Organizers at the University Yard encampment said officials suspended seven students for their participation in the demonstration. They said protesters in the encampment maintain access to food, water and medical attention, if necessary, and accused the university of denying access to bathrooms and running water.
The university's statement, on the other hand, said they are allowing access to food and water and that demonstrators have been provided with "clear information" on how to access medical assistance if needed.
There have been no incidents of violence, but as the group of protesters on University Yard grew larger, Granberg and Bracey said their priority became "safeguarding our community and implementing the safest resolution possible with the personnel and resources GW had available."
Instead of "forcible relocation," GWU leaders focused on limiting access to University Yard as protesters left the area and decided to initiate "academic and administrative consequences" on students who continued trespassing.
"The determination was made that students who remained in the encampment would be placed on temporary suspension and administratively barred from campus," the statement said.
Anniversary Park, which is located in a more residential area and is smaller than University Yard, remains an alternate location urged by the university and demonstrators would be allowed to stay there until 7 p.m. each day.
The university said it is aware of about 20 tents pitched on H Street and 20 demonstrators remaining in the University Yard encampment. The statement said H Street is public property that is neither controlled nor maintained by the university, and that the encampment on H Street falls under the jurisdiction of the Washington, D.C., government.
MPD rejected pleas from the university to clear the encampment over concerns of the optics of relocating a small group of peaceful protesters, according to The Washington Post.
Campus police and MPD continue to monitor the demonstrations.
Campus police confronted a couple of demonstrators Sunday night on the University Yard encampment, grabbing at least one of them by the arm and bringing them to the northwest corner of the police barricade. Protesters in both the H Street and University Yard encampments moved to the northwest entrance of the barricade and chanted "Let him go" until police released the two protesters.
Demonstrators also participated in chants calling on police to leave campus.
A short time later, demonstrators knocked down barricades blocking access to University Yard and students rushed into the encampment. As of Sunday night, more than 100 demonstrators were in University Yard.
More police arrived around 12 a.m. on Monday to monitor the encampments.
"This is an evolving situation tied to a larger coordinated national protest effort that we will continue to monitor and address," Granberg and Bracey wrote. "As we approach the end of the academic year, our ability to operate in a way that ensures the academic success and personal well-being of our community becomes even more critical."
"We are committed to ensuring that important moments in our students' educational journeys, including finals and Commencement, may happen safely and appropriately. But fulfilling this commitment takes everyone," the statement continued.
Fox News' Sarah Lechner contributed to this report.