Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein arrested at pro-Palestine college protest
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein said she was arrested Saturday while protesting the Israel-Hamas war on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis.
More than 80 individuals were arrested Saturday after they “refused to leave after being asked multiple times,” according to a statement from the Washington University in St. Louis.
“All will face charges of trespassing and some may also be charged with resisting arrest and assault, including for injuries to police officers,” the school’s statement said.
Stein’s campaign account posted a video of the candidate being escorted off campus by two police officers, with her hands apparently tied behind her back. Her campaign said she was arrested along with her campaign manager, Jason Call, and deputy campaign manager, Kelly Merrill-Cayer.
Stein and the other protesters were released at around 2 a.m. from St. Louis County Jail, according to her campaign account.
The St. Louis County Jail referred The Hill to the university for further confirmation.
The protest comes amid a wave of similar anti-Israel protests on college campuses that have compelled administrators ultimately to instruct police to make arrests.
The university statement said “a large group of individuals” arrived on campus on Saturday “with the intention of causing a significant disruption to the university.” After the group began “to set up a camp in violation of university policy, we made the decision to tell everyone present that they needed to leave.”
“We are firmly committed to free expression and allow ample opportunity for voices to be heard on our campus. However, we expect everyone to respect our policies and we will take swift action to enforce them to their fullest extent,” the university statement said.