The University of Wisconsin Police Department (UWPD) issued 19 citations to people Thursday, stemming from the pro-Palestine encampments on Library Mall earlier this spring.
The protesters were cited with resisting or obstructing a police officer while they carried out the raid, according to The Capitol Times. The identities of the 19 people were not made public.
Thursday's citations follow an earlier round of UWPD citations issued directly after the May 1 raid on the Library Mall encampment. UWPD and campus area police arrested 34 people and cited five other individuals with felonies.
The rest “received a warning for their actions and no law enforcement action was taken,” UWPD told the Cap Times.
Campus police reviewed and investigated each of the arrests after May 1, resulting in the citations Thursday, according to the Cap Times. UWPD did not respond to a request for comment.
These citations arrive on the same day as preliminary hearings for another pro-Palestine protester, Jeffrey Brown, who was also arrested in connection with the May 1 raid. Brown was arrested on May 26 and charged with one count of attempting to disarm a police officer.
Beginning April 29, pro-Palestine student groups erected tents on Library Mall and called on UW-Madison to divest from companies with ties to Israel. On May 1, UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin authorized campus area police departments to dismantle the encampments.
Protesters and university officials reached an agreement on May 10 that “committed” the university to request UWPD “use its discretion” in review of cases related to the May 1 raid. The agreement also asked that the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards consider the ending of the encampment as a “favorable mitigating factor” in the resolution of student disciplinary processes.
Wisconsin’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America is currently facing an interim suspension and investigation while Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the other organizer of the encampment, is facing a similar investigation into their conduct related to the protest.
SJP previously advised students involved in the encampment to remain silent when interacting with law enforcement and reiterated that sentiment in a post on social media earlier this afternoon.
Various campus organizations have said they will defend members arrested in connection with the encampments in disciplinary hearings.
Annika Bereny is a Senior Staff Writer and the former Special Pages Editor for The Daily Cardinal. She is a History and Journalism major and has written in-depth campus news, specializing in protest policy, free speech and historical analysis. She has also written for state and city news. Follow her on Twitter at @annikabereny.
Gavin Escott is the campus news editor for the Daily Cardinal. He has covered protests, breaking news and written in-depth on Wisconsin politics and higher education. He is the former producer of the Cardinal Call podcast. Follow him on X at @gav_escott.
