Anti-Israel activists at the University of Minnesota occupied and vandalized an administrative building on campus Monday, resulting in the arrest of 11 protesters.
The group gathered around 3 pm on campus before moving to Morrill Hall and entering the building, according to a statement from the university. There, they proceed to vandalize the building and eventually barricaded the entrance.
“Once inside the building, protesters began spray painting, including covering lenses of all internal security cameras, breaking interior windows, and barricading the building’s entrance and exit points,” the statement explained. “The full extent of the damage is unknown.”
The protesters were members of the UMN Students for a Democratic Society, an anti-Israel group aiming to pressure the university into divesting from companies that support the Jewish state. The university had previously declined to meet the group’s demands earlier this year following campus protests, according to a report by Fox News.
During the occupation, university staff were inside the building. Several staff members were unable to leave for a large period of time as protesters blocked the exits by stacking chairs and tables and using what appeared to be bike locks, according to WCCO-TV.
Law enforcement was called to the scene, and officers arrested the 11 protesters. The university has not released further details as investigations continue.
This incident is yet another in a string of relentless protests on college campuses related to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas. Universities have continued to see widespread backlash from the public for their inability or unwillingness to put an end to violent and anti-Semitic protests taking place on their campuses.
