Why were UMass students arrested? Story explored as pro-Palestine protest leads to 57 arrests

Authorities arrested 57 pro-Palestinian protestors at UMass on Wednesday, October 25, 2023. The primary purpose of the protests was to respond to a statement issued by Chancellor Javier Reyes regarding the attacks of Hamas against Israel. The statement was given on October 10 at the UMass campus. The protestors urged Reyes to severe the university's ties with defense contractor Raytheon Technology.

A spokesperson representing the university claimed that the demands presented by the protesters don't fall under the institute's policy or position. The students continued chanting while authorities were arresting the 57 protestors. The protest at UMass was one of several protests taking place at multiple colleges and universities in the country.

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57 UMass students protesting in support of Palestine arrested by campus police

Amidst the Israel-Palestine conflict, several protests are taking place all over the world. Private colleges and universities in the US have become a part of it as well. Recently, on October 25, several pro-Palestinians conducted a protest at UMass, claiming that the authorities have promoted militarism. One of the groups that is helping to lead the protests is the UMass Dissenters. Arsema Kifle, the group's founding member, said,

"Our goal is to let the school know, let the administration know and let the chancellor know that we have a say in what our university is giving money to. If we were satisfied, we wouldn’t be here right now."

According to the university, campus police arrested 56 students and one UMass Amherst employee. As per WBUR, many students were held in a holding cell until the next morning.

As has been mentioned before, the protest on the university campus is in response to the October 10 statement given by Chancellor Javier Reyes. Reyes spoke about Hamas attacks on Israel and said:

"The attack on Israel by Hamas, with the kidnapping and murder of civilians — acts of terror which we vehemently condemn — and the escalation of the conflict to all-out war have led to untold suffering and tremendous loss of Israeli and Palestinian life."

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The students were released the next morning

A university spokesperson addressed the protest and the students' demands and said,

"The protestors’ specific demands do not align with the university’s publicly stated positions and policies."

At about 2 pm local time, students gathered and headed towards the Whitmore building to have a talk with the administrators to keep their demands forward. The students entered the building and chose to stay there even after authorities gave them several warnings that it would be shut down after 6 pm local time. Eventually, the protesting students were taken into custody. Reyes issued another statement in which he said,

"Everyone who was arrested has been released, and we will reach out to them individually as they navigate the next steps of both the judicial process and the university’s Code of Student Conduct process."

According to the Boston Globe, similar protests and demonstrations have been taking place in other institutions, including Smith College, Harvard Divinity School, Tufts University, and the University of Massachusetts Boston. The university authorities further confirmed that the students were arrested to comply with law and order by the local police.