First Police Arrests Made at University of South Florida Pro-Palestine Protest
Police Arrests Made at University of South Florida Amid Pro-Palestine Protests
Tensions ran high at the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus today as police made their first arrests related to the ongoing pro-Palestine solidarity protests. At least 70 students, non-students, and legal observers gathered near the school’s library around noon, according to reports from Creative Loafing Tampa Bay photographer Dave Decker.
The activists began to march around 1 p.m. and formed a human chain around students at the school’s MLK Plaza, who were reportedly attempting to set up tents on a nearby lawn. A smaller group of pro-Israel counter-protesters was also present at the scene.
Shortly after, at least three people were detained by campus police, sparking outrage among the protesters. The USF chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (USF SDS), which organized the rally, took to social media to denounce the arrests, claiming that students were “brutalized and arrested for exercising their right to free speech and their right to protest.”
According to Samuel Ronen, a non-student serving as a police liaison, the activists were not actually setting up tents but attempting to sit on them like a blanket. He criticized the police for acting too quickly and aggressively, escalating the situation unnecessarily.
Despite warnings from school officials that tents are prohibited on campus without approval, approximately 50 students remained peacefully gathered on tarps this afternoon. Law enforcement agencies, including Tampa Police, Florida Highway Patrol, Hillsborough Sheriff, university police, and Temple Terrace Police, were still on site.
The arrests at USF come amid a wave of protests on college campuses across the country in response to the ongoing conflict between the Israeli government and Hamas. The latest conflict has surpassed the 200-day mark, with thousands of Palestinians killed, including many children.
USF has a history of police arrests during student protests, with four students being arrested at a demonstration in March 2023. However, charges against the “Tampa 5” were eventually dropped by the state attorney.
As the situation at USF continues to unfold, students remain defiant in their calls for the school to boycott and divest from companies supporting the Israeli government’s actions. This is a developing story that highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding the pro-Palestine movement on college campuses.