Providence police detained 20 Brown University students at a large Gaza ceasefire protest Wednesday for trespassing, WPRI reported.
The student group BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now led the demonstration, which involved chants, prayers and a sit-in inside the university’s main administration building. The arrests came after the university issued “multiple trespass warnings,” according to WPRI.
The students demanded Brown President Christina Paxson commit to divesting from companies benefiting from the Israel-Gaza war to “promote an immediate ceasefire and a lasting peace,” the outlet noted.
The protest, which began around noon, continued until after the building’s closing time, with Brown police granting protestors a 30-minute extension. Providence officers then arrived with transport vans, marking the protest’s end, according to WPRI.
Beginning at 5:44 PM yesterday, twenty Brown University Jewish students were arrested by the Providence Police Department for staging a peaceful sit-in at University Hall. The students were calling on the University to do its part in promoting a ceasefire in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/j7FxOPGH0T
— BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now (@jews4ceasefire) November 9, 2023
Brown University clarified staff informed demonstrators of their right to protest within operating hours, and the only reason demonstrations were subject to regulation was “to prevent interference with the normal functions of the University,” per The AP. (RELATED: Pro-Gaza Protesters Arrested After Disrupting House Judiciary Hearing On Free Speech And Antisemitism)
“At Brown, all community members are responsible for abiding by our codes, policies and protocols related to protests and demonstrations,” the university said in a statement, per WPRI.