Ohio State students protesting Gaza war charged with trespassing on campus

Two Ohio State University students were arrested Tuesday and charged with criminal trespass during an on-campus protest.

The students were arrested by Ohio State University police officers at Meiling Hall, near the Wexner Medical Center.

Ben Johnson, a university spokesman, said the students were issued "multiple warnings" before they were arrested.

"Well established university policy prohibits disrupting the university’s mission, administrative functions and campus-life activities. This includes demonstrations that disrupt classroom and administrative buildings," Johnson said.

A video posted by student organizers showed about a dozen police officers and university officials blocking the building's entrance as a group of protesters stood on the stairs outside chanting "Free Palestine" and holding signs.

"Ohio State has an unwavering commitment to freedom of speech and took this action in alignment with our space use rules to provide for the orderly conduct of university business," Johnson said.

The arrests come a day after Ohio State President Ted Carter said in an end-of-the-semester email that he respects students' right to freedom of speech, but "will not compromise" on matters of safety.

Ohio State will "continue to prioritize safety," Carter said in the email, including having university police officers and trained staff on-site for demonstrations, and enforcing space rules that prohibit "intentional disruptions of university events, classes, exams or programming, including commencement."

OSU's spring commencement is May 5 at Ohio Stadium.

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State students arrested at campus protest against war in Gaza