The encampment on the University of Minnesota campus is packing up after protesters urging the school to cut financial ties with Israel reached an agreement with the university.
After protestors with the student coalition left, the buildings around the Northrop Mall which had been closed for four days due to safety concerns reopened at 12 p.m. Thursday.
As a part of the agreement, members of the student coalition will meet with the Board of Regents on May 10.
Students add another item being promised to them is biweekly meetings between some of the protest organizers and university leaders.
The student coalition also said they will not organize disruptions at upcoming finals and commencements.
A member of the student coalition told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Thursday morning that protestors are happy to now have a seat at the table.
More than 130 people were arrested at the school, according to officials with the California Highway Patrol.
President Joe Biden sounded off on the protests late Thursday morning, saying “order must prevail” and rejecting calls from student protesters to change his approach to the war in Gaza.
After demonstrators calling for the university to sever financial ties with Israel reached a settlement with the university, the camp on the University of Minnesota campus is dispersing.
The buildings surrounding the Northrop Mall reopened at 12 p.m. after the student coalition’s protestors left. The mall had been closed for four days due to safety concerns. m. This Thursday.
Members of the student coalition will meet with the Board of Regents on May 10 as part of the agreement. Students add that biweekly meetings between some of the protest organizers and university officials is another promise made to them.
Additionally, the student coalition declared that they would not plan protests during the next finals and commencements.
They have consented to let students for Justice in Palestine and the UMN Divest coalition stay involved in talks until divestment takes place. According to Fae, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota and a representative of Students for Democratic Society, “that means they are committing to a path to divestment with us having a seat at the table to ensure they do not back down.”.
Although it’s unclear how much money the university has invested overseas, the protest organizers, who termed the event a success, expressed cautious optimism that the university will honor its pledge to divest from Israel.
The university “has very little direct business or investments in Israel or Palestine,” a spokeswoman for the institution said on Thursday. “.
“I am encouraged by today’s progress, even though there is still more work to be done and discussions with other student organizations impacted by the difficult circumstances in Palestine are still planned. It developed as a result of the parties’ desire to come to an understanding. Although we do not support actions that violate our policies, we value the open communication that student leaders have shown. The difficult and constructive discussions we’ve had are appreciated, according to Jeff Ettinger, interim president of the University of Minnesota.
According to a student coalition member, protestors are content that they can now sit at the table, as 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reported on Thursday morning.
See the entire contract between the organizers of the encampment HERE.
Related: The Most Recent: Demonstrators obstruct a gate outside a New Mexico Air Force Base.
There were several protests taking place at universities around the nation, including the one at the University of Minnesota. While police removed barricades and destroyed an encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, hundreds of protestors refused to leave, with some even creating human chains. More than 130 persons were taken into custody at the school, as stated by California Highway Patrol representatives.
Additional demonstrations took place at Yale, Portland State University in Oregon, Northwestern University in Chicago, Brown University in Rhode Island, and the University of Texas at Dallas.
Speaking about the protests late on Thursday morning, President Joe Biden insisted that “order must prevail” and dismissed calls from student demonstrators to alter his stance on the Gaza War.
RELATED: Biden declares that “order must prevail” in response to anti-Gaza protests on campuses.
Nine demonstrators were arrested last week at the University of Minnesota for trespassing after they set up tents and defied police orders to take them down.
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