University of Michigan says protest encampment posed a fire risk
An anti-Israel protest encampment at the University of Michigan was removed from campus by police early Tuesday, a public safety official confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Officers with the university’s public safety department began clearing the encampment just before 6 a.m. on the Central Campus, Melissa Overton, public information officer for the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Protesters demanding the university’s divestment from Israel over the Israel-Hamas war first set up the encampment in the Diag – a large open area with walkways and green spaces on campus – in April.
Overton said officers had provided a handout and issued three warnings over a 15-minute period, asking protesters to leave the encampment voluntarily before being subject to arrest.
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University of Michigan police broke up an anti-Israel encampment on campus early Tuesday. (FOX2 Detroit WJBK)
"The encampment posed safety risks, both to participants and the community at large, and its presence was in violation of multiple policies and regulations," Overton said. "Its removal was important to help maintain the safety and security of the U-M campus community."
A university spokesperson said the encampment broke safety protocols. (FOX2 Detroit WJBK)
It was not immediately clear whether any of the protesters were arrested.
Colleen Mastony, a university spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital in a statement that while the university recognizes the importance of free speech, the institution must also protect students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus.
Mastony said in a statement that the university fire marshal determined during an inspection on Friday that should a fire occur, there could be a catastrophic loss of life.
It was unclear whether any of the protesters were arrested. (FOX2 Detroit WJBK)
Protesters, however, refused to remove fire hazards, prompting the university to remove the encampment, Mastony said.
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"The disregard for safety directives was the latest in a series of troubling events centered on the encampment," Mastony said in the statement. "Individuals will continue to be welcome to protest as they always have at the University of Michigan, so long as those protests do not infringe on the rights of others, endanger our community, violate the law or disrupt university operations."
The university’s decision to break up the protest encampment follows similar moves in recent weeks by other colleges and universities across the country.
While many of the encampments have been broken up by police, or as part of an agreement between the university and protesters, agitators have continued to disrupt commencement ceremonies.
