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University of Denver activists on Wednesday dismantled the encampment they erected on campus three weeks ago, effectively ending — for now — the Pro-Palestinian protest movement in Colorado.
University officials praised the peaceful conclusion, while protesters vowed to return.
In a university-wide email sent out on Wednesday afternoon, DU Chancellor Jeremy Haefner said that school leadership had met with protesters as recently as yesterday.
The university — Haefner told protesters — would not meet their demands “for practical and policy-guided reasons.”
While DU officials praised the moment, others saw only a short reprieve.
Haefner said protesters took down the tents, erected earlier this month, as an act of compliance with the university’s call for “a safe and peaceful conclusion of the encampment.”
“Nothing matters more than the safety of our students and the broader campus community, and I want to thank the faculty and staff who joined in helping our university reach this peaceful conclusion,” Haefner said in a statement.
Students regarded the development from a wholly different set of lenses.
In a student statement posted on Instagram, DU_4palestine wrote, “Our fight is not over.”
In the group’s statement, students called Haefner and his administration “cowards who continue to support genocide.”
The group promised, on its Instagram page, to return.
The protesters at DU and on the Auraria Campus had demanded that university officials divest from corporations that operate in Israel, end study abroad program to the Jewish state and deny grants or funding from corporations that contract with the U.S. military.
The protests on the Auraria campus and at DU, which were relatively more muted compared to the violent clashes elsewhere in the country, lagged behind the wave of pro-Palestinian rallies on campuses across the U.S.
The protests in Colorado and elsewhere in America set off a fierce debate over the parameters of free speech, drew allegations of anti-semitism and put the spotlight on university administrations.
In Colorado, campus officials sought to balance upholding what they viewed as a legitimate exercise of free speech and ensuring the safety of campuses. They also faced increasing scrutiny and criticism from Jewish students. In the case of DU, several Jewish students said the administration let them down, compelling them to form a “first responder” squad to defend and protect themselves from Pro-Palestinian protests who, they said, had become increasingly threatening.
At the height of the protests, campus officials at both Auraria and DU repeatedly pleaded — without success — for the activists to dismantle their tents, citing health hazardssan jose sharks vlasic. In the case of the Auraria Campus, officials described escalating health and safety conditions, noting the presence of feces, drug paraphernalia, graffiti and vandalism in the encampment.
Protesters on the Auraria Campus finally removed their tents after a three-week standoff with university officials.
The Auraria campus is shared by three public institutions: Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado Denver.
DU is a private university.
It is as yet unclear what the next instances of protest may look like, but many expect it to resume.
At DU, there were hints the threat of disciplinary action led to the encampment’s dismantling. Officials earlier said they were eyeing disciplinary action against protesters who won’t comply with campus policy, adding they also saw instances of antisemitism from the encampment.
“Encampment ended voluntarily to protect students from further disgraceful punishment that admin is electing to use rather than listen to students,” Ash Reid, a DU student involved in the protest, told The Denver Gazette.
While pro-Palestinian protests are not new, the emergence of tents on campus set up a showdown with university officials.
R. Barbara Gitenstein, president emerita of the College of New Jersey, cautioned administrators to make good use of the summer months to prepare for a second reiteration of the protests.
“It is absolutely going to come back in the fall,” said Gitenstein, who served as president from 1999 to 2018.
“People are not ready to talk to one another,” added Gitenstein, who is Jewish.
And the way Gitenstein sees it, that’s the problem.
Meanwhile, officials on the Auraria campus warned of consequences.new york islanders team
“Well, I think we were pretty clear all along that when you are breaking campus policies, when you are trespassing and breaking relevant laws and you are completely ignoring the conduct code, that there are consequences,” said Colleen Walker, executive director at the Auraria Higher Education Center.
The protests on college campuses erupted in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, which began when Hamas, an Islamist militant group labeled a terror organization by several countries, including the U.S., crossed into southern Israel on Oct. 7.
That day, Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 200 people as hostages.
Israeli bombardments and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
In the early stage of the protest at the Auraria encampment, the campus police, aided by the Denver Police Department, arrested dozens.
Earlier this week, DU authorities arrested three people following a vandalism that targeted an academic building. It’s unclear if the vandalism was related to the pro-Palestinian protests.
DU authorities initially allowed the encampment to stand but said only current students, faculty and staffers may join the overnight protests. Authorities also said the activists must strictly adhere to a campus policy on protests and conducted ID checks.
Then a few days ago, officials told the activists to clear the encampment, signaling they were ready to dismantle the tents if the protesters failed to do so voluntarily.
Haefner had raised concerns about safety, discrimination, harassment, and campus vandalism that have “created painful rifts in our community.”
Chants at the protests — specifically, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — heightened worries among Jewish students.
The river is the Jordan and the sea is the Mediterranean, between which lie Israel and the Palestinian territories. Palestinian activists say it’s a call for peace and equality after 75 years of Israeli statehood and decades-long Israeli military rule over millions of Palestinians.
“As we move forward, I encourage all students, faculty and staff to engage in meaningful and respectful discussions,” Haefner said. “Together, we can impact positive change while maintaining a constructive and safe environment.”
Reporter Reporter Noah Festenstein and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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