MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 on April 24, 2024.
Six students and one faculty member arrested Tuesday for trespassing at the University of Minnesota during a protest have now been notified that the allegations have been rescinded.
According to a U of M spokesperson, over the last few days, the protesters received formal letters from the university that said their standard civil administrative trespass notices would be retracted and they'd be allowed back on campus "effective immediately."
The spokesperson added that although the trespassing notices were dropped, the accused could still be "subject to the University’s process for assessing additional consequences under the applicable employee and student policies."
The recent protests, which continue to sweep across college campuses and other public locations nationwide, made their way to the U Tuesday, where hundreds showed up in support of Palestinian civilians caught up in Israel's war against Hamas. Many of them also called for the university to divest in entities known to do business with Israel.
“We’re asking the U to divest from weapon manufacturing companies,” said student Adam Abu, who is Palestinian. “We always advocate for peace. We have a large amount of support.”
The university said officers responded to campus Tuesday morning on reports that an "encampment" was set up on the north end of Northrup Mall, which school officials said is a direct violation of U of M policy.
"The group was asked to disperse by 7 a.m. and told they would be arrested if they chose to stay past that time," a statement from the university read. "Some of those present chose to disperse and continue peacefully protesting, but nine chose to remain and were arrested without incident."
Protests continued Wednesday, as a smaller group gathered in front of Coffman Memorial Union. That group later reportedly entered the building and staged a "die-in," while discussing plans to revive the initial encampment.
Speaking on pro-Palestinian graffiti that would come to blanket the exterior of Coffman, Jewish Community Relations Council Deputy Executive Director Ethan Roberts told KARE 11 that Jewish students at the U were beginning to feel "unsafe."
“Most of it is hateful,” he said. “None of this messaging is advocating for peace. None of this messaging is advocating for shared peace with Israel and Palestine.
The protests in Minnesota come after more than 100 demonstrators were arrested at Columbia University last week, including 5th District Rep. Ilhan Omar's daughter, Isra HIrsi.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: