A group of pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the Institute of Politics building on the University of Chicago campus Friday afternoon.
At around 4:40 p.m., masked protesters unlawfully occupied the building, said university spokesman Gerald McSwiggan. "Protesters attempted to bar the entrance, damaged University property and ignored directives" from police "to clear the way," the spokesman stated.
Police later entered the building, and the protesters inside exited.
"The University of Chicago is fundamentally committed to upholding the rights of protesters to express a wide range of views," the spokesperson added. "At the same time, University policies make it clear that protests cannot jeopardize public safety, disrupt the University’s operations, or involve the destruction of property."
Banners reading "permanent ceasefire now" and "free Palestine" were visible near the front of the building as demonstrators gathered outside. Some individuals displayed Palestinian flags, while others voiced chants, such as "no justice, no peace."
Multiple people holding Israeli flags were also present nearby.
On May 7, the university's campus police department began ordering students to leave an encampment that had been the site of Pro-Palestinian protests since the week prior.
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That same day, University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos posted a statement about the action, saying that "safety concerns have mounted" over the last few days.
"The risks were increasing too rapidly for the status quo to hold," he said, in part, on May 7. "This morning, the University intervened to end the encampment."
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The statement also said school officials were able to find some common ground with protesters during negotiations, but that "a number of the intractable and inflexible aspects of their demands were fundamentally incompatible with the University’s principled dedication to institutional neutrality."
One day prior, the University of Chicago said talks between protesters and the school were "suspended," with the university calling the protesters' requests "inconsistent" with its principles.
