Police in riot gear remove tents from MIT protesters' encampment
CAMBRIDGE - A large police force entered pro-Palestinian protesters' encampment on the MIT campus early Friday morning.
Officers in riot gear lined up around the tent encampment at about 4 a.m. and could be seen breaking down tables and tents after they moved inside. MIT President Sally Kornbluth said 10 protesters inside were arrested and "peacefully" escorted off campus.
"The individuals present in the encampment at the time were given four separate warnings, in person, that they should depart or face arrest," Kornbluth said.
Several roads surrounding MIT, including Massachusetts Avenue, were shut down early Friday morning but have since reopened.
The encampment here at MIT has now been cleared after a large police response around 4 a.m. Surrounding roads including Mass Ave have reopened. Pro-Palestinian protesters tell us about 10 people were inside the encampment at the time and were arrested. @wbz pic.twitter.com/nNjgZfqCaJ
— Jordyn Jagolinzer WBZ (@jorjagolinzer) May 10, 2024
Protesters say "we'll be back"
There was a rally outside the now-cleared encampment Friday morning, where protesters said "this is not the end."
"We're going to be back because the student movement will not die," a protester with a megaphone said, before chanting "we'll be back."
MIT had started suspending protesters
Kornbluth had ordered protesting students to leave the encampment space on Kresge lawn by Monday. The school began suspending students after the deadline was ignored.
The encampments at MIT and other Massachusetts colleges began in late April, inspired by protesting students at Columbia University.
On Thursday afternoon, police arrested several pro-Palestinian protesters who were blocking the garage entrance to an MIT research building in Cambridge. Protesters said they want MIT to divest from Israeli-tied businesses, including research done for Israel Defense Forces.
Kornbluth said Friday that an "outside threats from individuals and groups from both sides" contributed to the decision to clear the encampment.
"I have no illusions that today's action will bring an end to the conflict here, as the war continues to rage in the Middle East," she wrote. "But I had no choice but to remove such a high-risk flashpoint at the very center of our campus."