The University removed the pro-Palestine encampment on White Plaza after protesters barricaded themselves inside Building 10, which houses the president and provost’s office in Main Quad. Thirteen individuals present in the building were arrested, according to a Wednesday morning email from President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez, including a Daily reporter who was present to cover the protest.
The encampment was established April 25 during Admit Weekend to demand that the University discloses and divests from investments in Israeli ventures. A vigil to honor hostages taken during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks was also removed.
Saller wrote that “the encampment has violated a number of university policies since its installation. While students have been sent to the Office of Community Standards disciplinary process for those policy violations, until today we have allowed the encampment to remain.”
According to Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) officers on the scene, the encampment was removed by officers and UG2 service workers at around 10 a.m. No protesters were present at the time, DPS officers and encampment organizers present told The Daily.
UG2 staff workers loaded all materials from the encampment, including tents, tables and signage, into an unmarked white truck. According to staff, the final destination is unclear. A previous pro-Palestine sit-in in White Plaza was removed in February after 120 days.
Community members including students, organizers of the encampment, faculty and staff were present in White Plaza, where the grass in the area is currently barricaded.
The pro-Israel demonstration, established during the first week of May, was also taken down on June 5. The demonstration, surrounded by Israeli and American flags, contained empty chairs to honor the victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the hostages taken and still in Gaza. Organizers removed a screen which showed video from the Hamas attacks.
They expressed frustration that the display, which was coordinated with administration, was removed alongside the encampment. “We’re in compliance and have done a lot of coordination with administration, so it’s a bit of a head scratcher as to why our stuff is getting taken down as well, but that’s the decision they made,” said Aaron Schimmel, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in Jewish history.
The email from Saller and Martinez wrote that the encampment was removed to preserve public safety.
This story is breaking and will be updated.