Pro-Palestinian protesters occupy building on the University of Chicago campus

A group of pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the Institute of Politics 
building on the University of Chicago campus Friday afternoon.

At around 4:40 p.m., masked protesters unlawfully occupied the building, 
said university spokesman Gerald McSwiggan. "Protesters attempted to bar 
the entrance, damaged University property and ignored directives" from 
police "to clear the way," the spokesman stated.

Police later entered the building, and the protesters inside exited.

"The University of Chicago is fundamentally committed to upholding the 
rights of protesters to express a wide range of views," the spokesperson 
added. "At the same time, University policies make it clear that protests 
cannot jeopardize public safety, disrupt the University’s operations, or 
involve the destruction of property."

Banners reading "permanent ceasefire now" and "free Palestine" were 
visible near the front of the building as demonstrators gathered outside. 
Some individuals displayed Palestinian flags, while others voiced chants, 
such as "no justice, no peace."

Multiple people holding Israeli flags were also present nearby.

On May 7, the university's campus police department began ordering 
students to leave an encampment that had been the site of Pro-Palestinian 
protests since the week prior.

That same day, University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos posted a 
statement about the action, saying that "safety concerns have mounted" 
over the last few days.

"The risks were increasing too rapidly for the status quo to hold," he 
said, in part, on May 7. "This morning, the University intervened to end 
the encampment."

The statement also said school officials were able to find some common 
ground with protesters during negotiations, but that "a number of the 
intractable and inflexible aspects of their demands were fundamentally 
incompatible with the University’s principled dedication to institutional 
neutrality."

One day prior, the University of Chicago said talks between protesters and 
the school were "suspended," with the university calling the protesters' 
requests "inconsistent" with its principles.

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/pro-palestinian-protesters-occupy-
building-on-the-university-of-chicago-campus/3440471/