CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) — Monday marked the fourth day of pro-Palestinian protests at UNC-Chapel Hill.
More protesters, including students from North Carolina State University and Duke University, joined UNC and formed the Triangle Gaza Solidarity Encampment. They called on the school to divest from all businesses connected to Israel.
“As students, we pay tuition to the university,” said a UNC student who participated in the demonstration. “The investments that go into the occupation are also our money.”
UNC student Rokaya Akrabawi painted a plaque on Monday that read, “My heart aches for my Palestinian brothers and sisters. My heart is Palestinian.”
“We want them to hear our story. We want them to know that even though we’re in a different country, we’re thinking of them when we’re here at the encampment in Chapel Hill.” said Akrabawi.
The encampment continued Monday, even though the tents were in violation of university policy.
“I’ve never seen crowds this big,” Jacob Ginn said. “We have several hundred people here right now, and people are here for the long term. We will remain here until our demands are met.”
“The idea is just to show how many people care and come together in the triangle,” said Zella Hanson, a student at Duke University.
ABC11 reached out to UNC-Chapel Hill on Monday but did not receive a specific response about the tents. However, UNC-Chapel Hill said the commencement will proceed as planned and that UNC Police will be present for safety and security.
If the case meets the criteria, the Orange County Attorney’s Office will prosecute.
On Monday, ABC11 spoke with Orange County District Attorney Jeff Nieman about the potential legal ramifications of the escalating protests. At issue is what is protected speech under the First Amendment, and the right to protest and the right of universities like UNC to control protesters.
“Those who are protesting absolutely have the right to express their concerns and protest. But other people on campus have the right to attend class and be taught by their teachers.”
“We talk about this all the time, but the First Amendment is not 100% unlimited,” Neiman said.
But Neiman added that if protesters act peacefully, do not damage property and, importantly, do not violate the rights of other students, they are largely protected.
“The people who are protesting absolutely have the right to express their concerns and protest,” Neiman said. “But other people on campus have the right to attend classes and be taught by teachers.”
After UNC officials told protesters it was a violation of university policy to pitch tents on campus, Nieman said campus policies such as those cited Friday violated university policy. He said it remains to be seen whether this could serve as grounds for legally disbanding a protest movement.
“There’s a chance that we’ll get into a higher-level argument that actually goes to the courts to discuss whether the policy that’s being implemented is a reasonable violation of First Amendment rights,” he said. Yes,” he said.
Neiman said protesters would be prosecuted by his office if it was found that the law was fairly and properly applied in cases where arrests could have been made.
“I have heard from some offices that have made more definitive statements that they are not interested in prosecuting crimes related to the protests,” he said. “And that’s not our view. We look at it on a case-by-case basis. And if it meets that criteria, we will move forward with prosecution.”
Neiman said he hopes the protests will be peaceful and no arrests will be necessary. He also called on protesters to continue to respect police, citing the tragedy that occurred in Charlotte on Monday.
Protests all over the country
What began at Columbia University escalated into a nationwide showdown between students and administrators over anti-war protests and restrictions on free speech.
Over the past 10 days, hundreds of students have been arrested, suspended, placed on probation, and in rare cases expelled from universities including Yale University, the University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University and the University of Minnesota.
Columbia University student Mariam Alwan suffered the worst after New York City police in riot gear arrested her and other protesters on her school’s campus, put them on a bus and detained them for several hours. thought it was over.
However, the next evening, the university junior received an email from the university. Alwan and other students had been suspended after being arrested in a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” a tactic deployed by universities across the country to quell growing campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war. .
The plight of students has been at the center of protests, with students and many teachers demanding amnesty. The question is whether the university and law enforcement will exonerate the student and withhold any other consequences, or whether the suspension and legal record will continue into the student’s adult life.
See also | Protesters clash over Gaza conflict, causing unrest on U.S. campuses ahead of graduation ceremony
Suspension conditions vary by campus. At Columbia University and its affiliated women’s college, Barnard College, Alwan and dozens of others were arrested on April 18 and immediately banned from campus and classes, unable to attend in-person or virtually, and barred from the cafeteria. It was done.
Barnard also removed suspended students from campus housing, according to a report in the Columbia Spectator campus newspaper, which obtained interviews with students and internal campus documents.
Questions still remain about their academic future. Can they take the final exam? What about financial aid? graduation? Columbia has said the outcome will be decided at a disciplinary hearing, but Alwan said no date has been given.
“This feels very dystopian,” says Alwan, a comparative literature and society major.
University administrators struggle to balance free speech and inclusivity.
Some demonstrations included hate speech, anti-Semitic threats, or support for Hamas, the group that attacked Israel on October 7 and sparked a war in Gaza that has killed more than 34,000 people. It is included. UCLA officials reported Sunday that violence broke out between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Graduation ceremonies in May will also increase pressure to exclude demonstrators.
University officials said arrests and suspensions are a last resort and that they are giving sufficient advance warning to clear protest areas.
Columbia University’s graduation ceremony is scheduled to take place on May 15, but the camp remains in place as of Monday, the last day of classes.
related | North Carolina native Keith Siegel appears in newly released Hamas video that appears to show two hostages
One of the hostages was Keith Siegel, an American citizen.
Related item | Hamas to consider ceasefire and hostage release plan.Israeli officials say Rafah invasion could be avoided
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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