Students say they won't give up, officials weigh in on police action against encampment

Virginia’s elected officials have weighed in on the student protest in support of Palestine on Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus and the subsequent use of force by police to disperse the encampment, days after 13 people were arrested and dozens more were pepper sprayed by authorities.

Elected officials who have weighed in on police use of force appeared to be divided along party lines. Republicans have issued their support for the actions of the university and police while Democrats have condemned their actions as an assault on the First Amendment Rights of the protestors.

VCU students had assembled in a peaceful demonstration on the university's library lawn on Monday morning. Throughout the day, dozens of protestors sang songs, ate and shared food, chanted, made signs, and pitched tents to form a student encampment in support of Palestinians. And then night fell, and dozens of law enforcement officers descended upon the scene.

Organizers have said, and members of the media who were on scene have reported, that law enforcement gave the demonstrators less than twelve minutes to disperse from what the university and police had called an “unlawful assembly” before officers in full riot gear began to use force. University spokespersons have said that students violated school policy by pitching tents on campus.

Use of force by police included kettling students against the Cabell Library windows, as student inside of the library watched from the other side of the glass. Law enforcement beat students with riot shields and pushed them to the ground. They sprayed dozens of protestors and arrested 13 people, roughly half of which were students at the university, with force. In response, protestors threw water bottles at police and attempted to shove back against their advances.

The student encampment had been a short-lived part of a widespread effort taking place at colleges and universities across the country, where students have set up "liberated zones" in an effort to draw attention to what they describe as a disproportionate response by the Israeli military to the October 7th attack carried out by Hamas, which left hundreds of Israelis dead.

Since the October 7 attack, Israeli forces have killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including more than ten thousand children. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced. Many face imminent starvation and disease due to the Israeli bombing campaign, which has destroyed most of Gaza's critical infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, universities, schools, places of worship and more. Humanitarian aid for Gaza's nearly two million residents has been severely limited or cut off altogether by Israel.

Republicans applaud university, police

In the immediate aftermath, Republicans Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears took to X, formerly Twitter to issues their support for the university and law enforcement’s actions.

“I am told that these protesters seem to be well-funded and well-supplied with food, tarps, tents, and pallets. Once the dust settles, I think we will see this was not entirely a peaceful protest. Parents, law enforcement have been working to ensure the safety of all,” Winsome-Sears said in a post.

“After repeated warnings and refusal to disperse, law enforcement must protect Virginians. My administration will continue to fully support campus, local and state law enforcement and university leadership to keep our campuses safe,” Youngkin said in a post on X.

Virginia House of Delegates Republican Leader Todd Gilbert, of Mount Jackson, issued a statement Tuesday morning that addressed the protest.

“No one may hold public spaces for ransom, and law enforcement has ensured that such illegal activity is ended before it escalates,” he said. “Virginia’s colleges are not preschools where petulant children need to learn basic rules and manners. Campus officials and law enforcement officers told these young adults the rules. They broke the rules, and now they’ll face the consequences.”

Democrats condemn affront on free speech

Also on Tuesday morning, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, D – Richmond, said she was “deeply concerned by how quickly” the protest on VCU’s campus escalated to the use of chemical agents as law enforcement disbanded the crowd.

“In this moment of heightened political tension, individuals must be given the space to exercise their First Amendment rights,” she said in a post on X.

State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D – Richmond argued in a statement on Tuesday that it is “our responsibility to help [students] protest peacefully.”

Del. Adele McClure, D – Arlington, posted on X that, as a VCU alum, she was “horrified” at the quick escalation to use of force by law enforcement.

“I strongly believe that students have the constitutional right to do so peacefully without being subjected to excessive force and arrest,” she said.

Chair of the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus, Sen. Mamie Locke, D – Hampton, expressed her concern with law enforcement’s use of force against protestors during a peaceful demonstration in a post on X on Wednesday.

“Freedom of speech must not be repressed, and it is the duty of law enforcement to uphold, not undermine this freedom,” she said.

Next steps for students

At a press conference on Thursday, student organizers reiterated their demands for the university. They noted that, though their encampment had been disbanded with force after less than 12 hours on Monday, they’re not giving up.

Demonstrators are seeking for the university to disclose its financial connections with Israel; for the university to divest from organizations that support or profit from "colonization and genocide" of Palestinians; for the university to defend pro-Palestinian campus speech and activism; and for the university to support permanent and immediate ceasefire.

If there are plans for another demonstration, organizers have not yet made them public. On Thursday, they said they are focused on recovering from Monday’s events and supporting those who were arrested.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Virginia's elected officials applaud, condemn police action at VCU