George Washington University anti-Israel protest broken up by police with 33 arrests

The George Washington University encampment was cleared by Metropolitan Police early Wednesday morning after two weeks of growing tensions.

Mayor Muriel Bowser was expected to appear at a hearing from the House Oversight Committee later on Wednesday, but said she spoke with Rep. James Comer (R-KY) about focusing her day on the problems on campus. She said she expected the hearing to be pulled based on that conversation.

Comer confirmed he would be pulling the meeting. 

“MPD is the best in the business at keeping people safe,” Bowser said at a press conference. She quickly turned over the comments to MPD. 

MPD said they support those exercising their First Amendment rights to protest, but prioritize safety over that precedent. Police deployed pepper spray on some protestors. 

“All of the decisions I have made are based on public safety,” MPD Chief Pamela Smith said. 

A total of 33 arrests were made for unlawful trespassing and an assault on a police officer. Twenty-nine were charged with unlawful conduct while four people, one inside the encampment, were charged with assaulting a police officer. There were no serious injuries to officers.

The protest came to an end after university officials said they failed to come to an agreement with protestors’ demands. 

“In this particular location where there is private property, we will not allow them to encamp anymore,” Smith said when asked about protestors who said they still plan on camping. “As of the area that we have now secured, there will be no protests in that area.”

MPD also confirmed that some people who were involved with the encampment at Columbia University in New York also traveled to Washington to involve themselves with the GWU encampment.

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“MPD’s response to the demonstration is apolitical,” Bowser said.

This is a developing story that will be updated.