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Protesters detained, ticketed at Auraria Campus building

The protesters were in a room in an aerospace and engineering sciences building on the Denver campus.

DENVER — Several protesters were detained and given tickets for trespassing in a building at Auraria Campus Tuesday evening.

The demonstrators were holding a sit-in in an aerospace and engineering sciences building on the campus. 9NEWS saw law enforcement officers from the Colorado State Patrol and the Auraria Campus police department remove about a dozen people from the room in plastic handcuffs. The people were then taken into a hallway. 

Some of the people told 9NEWS that they were given tickets for trespassing and then released. 

Credit: Lauren Scafidi / 9NEWS

In a statement Tuesday night, an Auraria Campus spokesperson said the protesters "made unauthorized entry into the MSU Denver Aerospace, Engineering, and Sciences (AES) Building at around 5:00 p.m."

"The protestors occupied the first floor of the building and impeded students' access to classrooms for final exams," the statement said. "Additionally, they chanted, pounded drums, and used amplified sound in violation of campus event policies, and therefore, they violated MSU Denver's Student Code of Conduct."

The spokesperson said following three warnings, campus police issued a summons for trespass and failure to obey lawful orders to each of the 14 protesters.

Credit: Lauren Scafidi / 9NEWS

"It was kind of scary," said Hatem Teirelbar, a protester. "I had no way of knowing that we were going to be let out this quickly, but at the same time, like, I have watched my -- I have been in the crowd watching my friends doing sit-ins get arrested before. So it felt good not to be watching them, to be with them."

Teirelbar said this incident will not make him reconsider protesting on the quad. 

"Now I am even more determined to keep fighting for this," Teirelbar said.

Credit: Lauren Scafidi / 9NEWS

RELATED: Doors MSU Denver said were zip tied by protesters were actually closed by campus police

Protesters have been camped out on the campus's Tivoli Quad since April 25, calling on the campus's three universities to divest out of interests in Israel.

About 40 demonstrators were arrested at the encampment on April 26. No other arrests have been made since.

Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said at a citizens oversight board meeting Friday that the department had no plans to participate in another sweep of the encampment. A Denver police spokesperson told 9NEWS Tuesday evening that officers were on the campus, but had not made any arrests. 

RELATED: Denver Police chief on Auraria Campus demonstration: 'We absolutely aren't going to go in and sweep out this peaceful protest'

RELATED: Community College of Denver relocates graduation amid protests at Auraria Campus

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