DENVER — Police on Friday afternoon arrested about 40 pro-Palestinian demonstrators at an encampment on the Auraria Campus near downtown Denver.
The demonstration started Thursday with about 100 protesters on the Tivoli Quad. Some of them put up tents, which the Auraria Higher Education Center said in a statement violates campus policy. Campus administrators spoke with the demonstrators multiple times, and demonstrators didn't take down the tents. That was when "law enforcement stepped in," the statement says.
Auraria Campus sent out an alert around 12:30 p.m. Friday stating that "Due to civil unrest, please avoid the Tivoli Quad." That alert was followed by another saying that all inbound traffic to the Auraria Campus was closed.
Sky9 flew over the encampment where police officers were present. About 40 people were detained and put onto a Denver Sheriff Department bus. Those who were arrested could face trespassing charges, the statement says.
"The best warning we had about what might happen was what's been happening across all 50 states," said Mohamed Misky, with Colorado Palestine Coalition. "What happened today is not exclusive to Denver it is happening all across the country. We saw it in Colombia in New York. We have seen it at UT Austin in Texas. This is what is happening. This is not a problem with DPD."
By 2:30 p.m., the bus had left the campus and the tents were taken down. A half-hour later, police left the area, and demonstrators returned and set up more than 30 tents.
"We will continue to monitor this ongoing situation and remain vigilant," the campus statement says. "Our top priority remains the safety of all students, staff, faculty and community members."
Denver police returned to the campus a little after 5 p.m. Friday and began warning protesters that they needed to leave or they would be forced out again.
However, no arrests were made. A standoff between protesters and police lasted a few hours until it started downpouring, when law enforcement moved inside.
Mayor Mike Johnston showed up to the demonstration around 7:30 p.m. to tell protesters they needed to take down their tents or police would start making arrests. Some tents came down, and police left the area around 8:30 p.m.
The Denver Police Department said that they were supporting Auraria Campus Police in the operation.
9NEWS asked organizers if anything onsite could be considered antisemitic.
"No," said Khalid Hamu. "Antisemitism has really no tolerance in students for a democratic society or this encampment. I think we have seen antisemitism be thrown to try to discredit students and we are really just fighting to see an end to the genocide. We are hoping to see that the University of Colorado Denver divests from any corporation inside Israel."
Miri Kornfeld, with Stand With Us Colorado, disagrees.
"Any time you hear a statement such as 'from the river to the sea,' is there room for Israel in between there" Kornfeld said. "What river are they talking about? They’re talking about the Jordan River. What sea are they talking about? They’re talking about the Mediterranean Sea? 'Palestine will be free,' is there any room for Israel in the middle? No there’s not and so that is calling for the genocide of Israel."
Kornfeld said what is happening on campus is scary.
"I would like to see the encampment cleared," Kornfeld said. "I would like to see the university make some sort of statement standing for and in support of their students, making sure they are going to keep their students safe no matter what."
Protests have sprung up on campuses across the country this month, starting with students at Columbia University. Administrators and police on campuses from California to Connecticut have wrestled with how to address the demonstrations that have seen scuffles with police and hundreds of arrests.
The Auraria Campus near Speer Boulevard and Auraria Parkway includes Metropolitan State University of Denver, University of Colorado Denver, and Community College of Denver.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
> Video below: Police called in to pro-Palestinian encampment on Denver campus
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