Two dozen people were arrested on Northern Arizona University’s Flagstaff campus late Tuesday after they missed a 10 p.m. deadline to remove an encampment in support of Palestinians.
Police in riot gear dismantled the encampment outside the University Union around midnight.
Videos shared on social media show law enforcement and others removing tents and physically removing demonstrators.
NAU police arrested 24 people for trespassing, including 22 students.
School officials issued an update soon after, saying NAU "acted accordingly to enforce university protocols and to foster public safety and maintain the continuity of university operations."
They refuted demonstrator claims that tear gas and tasers had been used.
The organizing group Students for Justice in Palestine described the event as a "peaceful protest" and said NAU responded with violence.
They also maintain school administration did not contact them about their demands before breaking up the encampment. SJP is asking for university funds to be divested from Israeli military operations and for the NAU Police Department to be abolished.
The student organization has since been placed on interim suspension and NAU has tightened protest policies through the end of the semester. Temporary structures are no longer allowed on campus and “expressive activity” is only permitted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
It isn’t clear whether the protesters plan to demonstrate again.
