State and local cops break up Free Palestine protest on UW Madison library mall.

[sybylla]

Link to tweet

This Xitter post by Anna Kleiber displays photos from the police actions this morning. First photo is a bank of cops with riot shields. Second photo shows protesters linking arms facing away from a bank of police officers with riot shields. Third photo shows two students hugging facing away from the camera watching police deal with a group of protestors, one out of focus cop has a gas mask dangling from his belt and is holding a rifle-shaped gun that looks as though it might shoot pepper canisters. Fourth photo shows two protesters seated on the lawn while a third is face-down on concrete with two officers kneeling over them, while the background of the photo is filled with officers in black.


ALCU response to the action taken against the peaceful protest.
https://www.aclu-wi.org/en/press-releases/aclu-wisconsin-responds-after-mass-arrests-uw-madison-two-protesters-injured-police

MADISON – On Wednesday morning, police in riot gear were called to UW-Madison to dismantle encampments set up by students peacefully expressing solidarity with Palestine. While the encampments were non-violent and posed no risk to public safety, law enforcement needlessly escalated the situation by making arrests and using physical force that injured at least two protesters.

ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director Dr. Melinda Q. Brennan said the following:

“Responding to peaceful acts of dissent with militarized police is dangerous and only makes things worse. Too often in situations like this, we’ve seen police behave recklessly, violate the law, and endanger people gathered at protests and acts of civil disobedience.

Inviting armed police into a campus protest environment can create unacceptable risks for all students, faculty, and staff. University officials must also be aware of the history of law enforcement using inappropriate and excessive force on communities of color, including Black, Brown, and immigrant students. Moreover, arresting peaceful protestors is also likely to escalate, not calm, the tensions on campus — as events of the past week have made abundantly clear.

Non-violent, peaceful acts of civil disobedience have always been an instrumental part of social movements, and students should not be sanctioned for them, much less subjected to excessive, hostile policing, or destruction of their property.”

[LauraInLA]

1. Had the university told the protestors to take down the camp?