UC Irvine students head back to class after 47 arrests made on campus
Classes at UC Irvine are back in-person on Friday after they were held remotely on Thursday, May 16, after 47 people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest on campus.
All 47 were taken to the OC Jail and released on citation, according to UC Irvine. Most of the protesters were arrested after failing to disperse when police gave the order. A few were arrested for trespassing.
"Unless specifically noted, all employees should work remotely" following what Chancellor Howard Gillman called "a sad day for our university."
Protesters began rallying around the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday where an encampment has been setup for weeks.
RELATED: Protesters leave UC Irvine after police clear pro-Palestinian encampment
This prompted UC Irvine campus police to call in aid from Orange County sheriff's deputies and Irvine police, along with other neighboring agencies.
When authorities moved into the area, protesters began chanting "we won't move" and "shame" with people wearing scarves, face masks and some had goggles and hard hats on.
Timeline of Protest
The university sent a message to students at 5:57 p.m. saying, "Anyone currently in buildings in the vicinity of the protest are advised to exit buildings and leave the area immediately."
Authorities began arresting protesters and dismantling the encampment after declaring an unlawful assembly and ordering the crowd to disperse. In all, 47 people were arrested after failing to disperse. Two people who were taken into custody identified themselves as UCI faculty members, 19 were non-affiliates and 26 were students.
Around 300 protesters remained on campus at 7 p.m. Video from the scene showed some shoving between police and protesters as officers moved into the encampment area.
By 8 p.m. protesters had been funneled into Aldrich Park by advancing police. An announcement was made around 8:10 p.m. to disperse within five minutes. Many in the remaining crowd left at that point.
By 8:33 p.m., police had cleared Aldrich Park and only a few lingering people remained on campus.
The situation on UC Irvine campus intensified over the past week after some protesting students received suspension notices from the university, including some who were involved in negotiations with UCI administrators.
