Nineteen pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested during a meeting of the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting on Thursday morning.
The scheduled meeting began at about 7:45 a.m. in Gordon Hall on the UW-Madison campus. During the meeting’s opening business, several dozen protesters flanked the room, according to video reviewed by WPR.
They stood silently, many holding Palestinian flags and protest signs.
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After a speaker addressed the board in support of students who faced discipline for pro-Palestinian activism, the protesters began chanting in support of Palestine. University police attempted to remove the protesters, eventually detaining several who did not leave.
According to a statement from the UW-Madison Police Department, there were about 50 total protesters, and 19 arrested around about 8:30 a.m.
“No citations were issued; however, each case will be investigated, and citations could be issued in the future,” the statement reads.
It’s not yet clear how many of those arrested were students. Marc Lovicott, a spokesperson for the UW-Madison police department, said those cited were both affiliated and unaffiliated with UW.
According to statements from protesters on social media, student groups including Students for Justice in Palestine at UW-Madison and Students for a Democratic Society at UW-Milwaukee, and non-campus groups like CODEPINK helped plan the action.
The groups have called for the Board of Regents to disclose any investments it makes of university money in businesses involved in Israel’s war in Gaza. That has been ongoing since after Hamas militants killed and kidnapped hundreds of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.
The protests calling for university divestment from that conflict escalated in the spring with the start of a nationwide campus encampment movement. Students set up tents on college campuses across the country, including at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, to demand that their schools divest holdings in Israel, pro-Israel companies, or businesses tied to weapons manufacturers, and take other pro-Palestinian actions.
Several dozen people have been investigated for nonacademic misconduct tied to the UW protests, and some have faced disciplinary action from the university.
A press release from the group CODEPINK said that students have asked the Board to answer questions about student discipline and about their investments, which are not made public.
The first pro-Palestinian person who spoke on Thursday, kicking off the larger protest, argued that the Board was not being transparent.
“The Board of Regents is in violation of UW Law. In addition, they refuse transparency to their students,” the person said. He spoke for under two minutes before a member of the Board called for the room to be cleared, according to video of the event.
“At this point, we’d like to continue on with the business of the Universities of Wisconsin, so we will have the room cleared,” said the Regent, who could not be immediately identified.
That’s when university police stepped forward to remove the protesters, who began their chants as they were removed.
A spokesperson for the UW system did not respond to WPR’s request for comment.
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