Pro-Palestinian Campus Protesters Hit With Felony Charges

Thirteen pro-Palestinian protesters who barricaded themselves in the office of Stanford University’s president were charged with felony burglary on Friday, with some of them suspended and not able to graduate.

The incident took place early Wednesday morning when protesters occupied President Richard Saller’s office before they were forcibly removed by the Stanford Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) and the County Sheriff’s Office.

Demonstrators intended to remain inside the building until their demands were met, but police cleared the encampment within three hours.

Approximately 50 students, most dressed in black with their faces wrapped in kaffiyehs, linked arms and surrounded the building in solidarity with the occupying students.

Stanford spokesperson Dee Mostofi said the protesters had left “extensive damage” to the interior and exterior of Building 10, which houses the president’s office and other administrative facilities.

According to the Stanford Daily, the protesters were detained for approximately 15 hours before bail was set at $20,000 per individual.

After criticism that Stanford — among other elite universities – had not taken a hard enough line with the protests as they turned disruptive, Wednesday’s incident appeared to be a turning point at the bucolic northern California campus.

In a letter circulated to the Stanford community, President Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez announced that the students involved would be suspended and temporarily banned from campus, and any seniors involved would not be allowed to graduate.

During Wednesday’s events, protesters defaced walls with anti-Israel and anti-police slogans and vandalizing a memorial to Stanford war veterans with graffiti reading “F- AmeriKKKa.” They also painted “Our office now” on a window and chanted, “Palestine will be free, we will free Palestine.”

The university’s historic main quad was spray-painted with slogans including “DE@TH 2 ISR@HELL,” “Kill cops,” and “PIGS TASTE BEST DEAD,” according to images of the vandalism circulating on social media.

The protesters were part of Stanford Against Apartheid in Palestine (SAAP), an autonomous group of students unaffiliated with any voluntary student organization. They were demanding that the school divest from any companies “that provide material and logistical support to Israel’s current military campaign.” They claim their demands have been ignored by the administration.

Student protests over the war in Gaza began on Columbia University’s campus in New York City in mid-April. Students erected an encampment and demanded the school divest from companies profiting from Israel’s military operations in Gaza, including weapons manufacturers.

Newsweek has contacted Stanford’s media affairs division and the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office for further comment.