Ohio State protests: What's next for students, demonstrators arrested on campus?

More than three dozen students and demonstrators face misdemeanor criminal charges after clashing with Ohio State University police and Ohio Highway Patrol troopers Thursday night amid the university's crackdown on protests calling on, among other things, the university to divest from Israel.

Protests critical of Israel's response to the attacks by Hamas continue to spread across campuses at colleges and universities across the country continuing, many resulting in student and faculty arrests. More are planned at colleges throughout Ohio, including Wednesday at Ohio State.

Some communities have already dropped charges against protesters. The Dispatch has been following the arrests in Columbus and here's what we know.

How many people were arrested at Ohio State University protests?

As of Tuesday morning, there have been more than 40 arrests at protests on Ohio State University's campus connected to the demonstrations. About half of the arrests have been people affiliated with the university.

All of the charges have been criminal trespass, a fourth-degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and a $250 fine.

The bulk of the arrests, more than 30, occurred on Thursday night at the Oval on campus. On April 23, police arrested two people and took another three people into custody the following day.

The protests have been observed as mostly peaceful, involving chants, prayers and gathering.

Will Columbus city attorneys prosecute Ohio State protesters?

As of Tuesday morning, none of the charges have been dismissed and all of their cases remain active.

In 2020, the Columbus City Attorney's Office dismissed charges against protesters arrested in downtown during demonstrations related to the death of George Floyd. Those arrests were done by Columbus police.

The protesters from Ohio State University were arrested by university police.

A group of people in support of the protesters spoke at Columbus City Council on Monday night, urging the Columbus City Attorney's office to dismiss the charges stemming from Thursday's arrests.

The City Attorney's office said at the council meeting that no decisions have been made about the prosecutions.

What's next for the Ohio State protest cases?

Nearly 20 of those arrested were scheduled to have their first appearances Monday in Franklin County Municipal Court, with other protesters scheduled for court on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The cases scheduled for Monday were continued until June without any of the protesters appearing before a judge.

Similar outcomes are expected to take place for those protesters scheduled to appear on Tuesday and Wednesday.

What has Ohio State said about the protests and arrests?

On Monday, Ohio State University President Ted Carter released a statement outlining what the university said occurred on Thursday.

Carter said the enforcement action was not about limiting free speech but was done because the tent encampment set up by protesters violated university rules and was creating disruption on campus.

In an email to the campus community, Carter said encampments are not allowed on campus for any reason because of the security concerns. He said the university will not be "overtaken" like other campuses have experienced.

"The university’s long-standing space rules are content neutral and are enforced uniformly," he said. "Thursday’s actions were taken because those involved in creating the encampment on the South Oval were in violation of these rules and had been notified of this beginning at 4:30 a.m. when the first encampment was attempted, and continuing repeatedly throughout the day."

Are there more protests scheduled at Ohio State?

As of Tuesday morning, there were plans for a protest on Ohio State's campus on Wednesday evening. A protest is also planned for Denison University on Tuesday.

Final exams are taking place at Ohio State this week, with the university's commencement ceremony currently scheduled for Sunday.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State protests: What's next for arrested campus demonstrators?