On Friday evening, an individual interrupted a pro-Palestine vigil held at the encampment at White Plaza, verbally and and physically assaulting students.

In videos of the incident obtained by The Daily, the individual yelled expletives and called protesters “terrorists”. The individual also shoved an attending protester. Protesters chanted back, “Free, free Palestine!”

University spokesperson Dee Mostofi wrote in an email to The Daily that the individual is believed to be unaffiliated with the University. Mostofi confirmed that the individual was arrested and escorted from the vigil by the Department of Public Safety after refusing to leave.

According to Mostofi, no one was injured in this incident. She did not respond to questions regarding any additional measures to protect students following the incident.

The vigil was held by organizers of the pro-Palestine encampment to “recenter and ground our community in the mourning and loss of every Palestinian life by the atrocious crimes of the apartheid Israeli state,” according to a social media post by Students Against Apartheid in Palestine’s (SAAP). The vigil was scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. as part of day-long programming starting at 5:30 a.m., which included a Fajr prayer, teach-in and an event in collaboration with Stegner fellow Solmaz Sharif. 

Amid nationwide protests, pro-Palestine students established an encampment at White Plaza during Admit Weekend on April 26 and continue to protest in favor of Stanford “[divesting] its endowment from companies invited in apartheid Israel’s war crimes,” according to a statement by SAAP. 

The encampment has remained overnight despite the administration’s reiteration of the no-camping policy, which bars students from staying in White Plaza between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.  

An April 26 email from president Richard Saller and provost Jenny Martinez warned participants of the overnight encampment that they could face suspension and other disciplinary actions from the Office of Community Standards.