More than ten people were arrested at Stanford University in California on Wednesday after pro-Palestinian students occupied a building housing the university president's office, marking the latest clash between American students and authorities over the war in Gaza. According to the student newspaper, Stanford Daily, around ten students entered the building close to 5:30 AM on the last day of the spring semester, while approximately 50 students linked arms in front of the building chanting, "Palestine will be free."
In a post on Instagram, the group "Liberate Stanford" stated that an "independent group of students" occupied the office of university president Richard Saler. The students demanded that the university divest from companies linked to the Israeli war in Gaza, among other demands.
According to Stanford Daily, the police used a crowbar to enter the building about two hours after the protest began. The university stated in a press release that police arrested 13 individuals who unlawfully entered the building. The statement noted, "Significant damage occurred inside and outside the building, and there will be no access to the building for the remainder of the day."
Hundreds of students have been arrested in recent months after organizing demonstrations and sit-ins, as well as occupying facilities in some cases, in protest of the Israeli military operation in Gaza.
