The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department arrested 19 people at Gordon Dining & Event Center at 8:30 a.m. Thursday after 50 pro-Palestine protesters disrupted a Board of Regents meeting, demanding the university to financially and socially divest from Israel.
Footage posted by Students for a Democratic Society Madison shows officers attempting to escort the group of protesters out of Gordon's. The protesters chanted “We won’t leave” as an officer said, “It’s time to go.” In the background, other members were being handcuffed and led out of another door as the larger group continued chanting “Free Palestine.”
UWPD detained the 19 protesters in Gordon Commons for a short period, prompting social media posts from UW-Madison Students for Justice in Palestine and other groups urging people to call UWPD and ask for the release of those detained. All were released without citations at this time.
A Daily Cardinal reporter saw seven or eight police cars in the parking lot outside Sellery Residence Hall at 9 a.m.
After the disruption, police officers prevented the public and even some UW officials from accessing the Regents meeting, despite it continuing inside. A UW-Madison police officer said the situation represented a “safety issue” and that they could watch the livestream.
A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter reminded police the meeting is open to the public under state law and there didn't appear to be a sufficient safety issue for the meeting to be halted. The reporter was later let inside.
About 15 of those protesting were students from UW-Milwaukee, where a dozen UWM protesters held a one-minute disruption at a Board of Regents meeting last spring.
“It's been a year of this genocide — more and more people die every day that we don't take action," said Audari Tamayo, an arrested UW-Milwaukee protester. “And for that, they punished us.”
UWPD said “each [of today’s] cases will be investigated, and citations could be issued in the future,” in a press release Thursday.
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.
Mary Bosch is the photo editor for The Daily Cardinal and a first year journalism student. She has covered multiple stories about university sustainability efforts, and has written for state and city news. Follow her on twitter: @Mary_Bosch6
