Over 40 students at Brown University were arrested on Monday after they staged a pro-Palestine sit-in, according to several reports.
According to reports, the Brown University Palestine Solidarity Caucus held the protest. The student newspaper, the Brown Daily Herald, noted that Providence Police Department and Brown Department of Public Safety officers arrested and booked all 41 students who refused to leave University Hall.
“To expedite the process and avoid processing arrests in two locations, Brown DPS arranged with the Providence Police Department to conduct all arrest processing on-site in University Hall,” University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in a statement to The Herald.
Reportedly, students were “photographed, fingerprinted and provided their arrest paperwork in lieu of being detained in physical custody.”
“The disruption to secure buildings is not acceptable, and the University is prepared to escalate the level of criminal charges for future incidents of students occupying secure buildings,” Clark added.
“Given that this is the second prominent incident in recent weeks of students trespassing in a secure, non-residential building after operating hours, the University fully expects to recommend more significant criminal misdemeanor charges for any future incidents after the Dec. 11 sit-in,” he added.
Brown University has just released a statement confirming 41 students were arrested and charged with trespassing. The school says it "fully expects to recommend more significant misdemeanor charges for any future incidents." pic.twitter.com/Oe2qfxbpOv
— Amy Russo (@amymrusso) December 12, 2023
In a statement, Brown University President Christina Paxson said that “protest is a necessary and acceptable means of expression on campus.”
“However, the University maintains safeguards for determining time, place and manner to ensure that protests don’t interfere with the normal functions of the University. University Hall is a secure building that maintains confidential and privileged information in multiple offices; staying in the building after business hours poses security concerns,” Paxson added.
WRPI noted that the students arrested were part of the Brown Divest coalition, which accused Paxson of “anti-Palestinian rhetoric and violence.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member