Pro-Palestinian protesters retook their encampment on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus Monday evening, just hours after mostly vacating the area.
The group of tents had been almost entirely emptied out by the 2:30 p.m. deadline set by administrators Monday, with only five students remaining at that time, according to MIT officials. Many other students gathered outside the perimeter of the encampment.
The school warned students that they would be placed on immediate academic suspension for the remainder of the semester if they did disperse ahead of the deadline.
At around the time the encampment was cleared, however, “a large number of outside demonstrators arrived” on campus, which MIT officials attributed to “a call on social media to students in the area to join our students,” as well as “a planned public protest.”
At approximately 6 p.m., someone jumped over the fence surrounding the encampment, “causing a surge,” administrators said, adding, “and soon the area was breached.”
Reports indicated that protesters tore down the green tarp that blocked the tents from the crowd, which escalated into protesters forcing down the metal barricades and reclaiming the encampment.
By Tuesday, students continued to protest in the area surrounding the tents.
On Monday night, administrators estimated there were about 150 students and others “standing in a circle around the tents” while others nearby were chanting.
Officials said no arrests had been made, as of a university statement Monday night, but that police officers from MIT, Cambridge and the state were on scene “to preserve public safety.”
“We have much work still to do to resolve this situation, and will continue to communicate as needed,” the statement, which was signed by President Sally Kornbluth, Executive Vice President and Treasurer Glen Shor and Chancellor Melissa Nobles, reads.
The encampments come as similar demonstrations have erupted on college campuses across the U.S. in recent weeks, with students and others protesting the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Administrators have struggled to find the appropriate response to the protests, as they try to maintain a peaceful and safe campus for students.
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