SALT LAKE CITY — A University of Utah spokesperson said only four of the 19 people arrested during on-campus pro-Palestinian protests Monday night were students. One former university employee was also among those taken into custody.
University officials said those arrested are facing charges of disorderly conduct, trespassing higher education premises and failure to disperse.
More than 100 protesters gathered at Presidents' Circle Monday afternoon, peacefully taking up space as they demanded that the university cut all ties with Israel.
Around 10:30 p.m. police warned that if protesters did not disperse, they may have to use force. Officers in riot gear arrived and eventually used force to make the group leave.
VIDEO BELOW: Watch the archived live stream from FOX 13's crew at the scene:
Salt Lake City Police said some protesters threw water bottles, rocks, and metal cans at officers while others had make-shift weapons.
The new arrest totals increased by two from the original amount. As a result of the protest, 19 people were taken into custody and structures, including tents, were disbanded. Additionally, one hatchet was confiscated.
Two officers were injured during the incident.
All those transported to the jail were released early Wednesday, within hours of their arrival. Two of the 19 people arrested were accused of not just failing to disperse, but also interfering with or assaulting police officers.
The former employee who was arrested, Simeon Ryan Hammond, last worked at the university in Oct. 2021.
Formal charges have yet to be filed.
Around 11:00 p.m. Monday, an announcement over a loudspeaker from the U of U Department of Public Safety declared the gathering as "unlawful." University policy states no overnight camping is allowed on campus without the permission of the University’s administration.
They said those who leave would not be arrested, but those who did not leave may be detained. Some were seen taking down their tents or picking them up and moving them.
"Officers removed and dismantled approximately a dozen tents, stashes of water bottles, food and toilet paper," University of Utah officials reported.
A line of officers gradually moved the entire group down from Presidents Circle to the edge of campus property.
Around midnight, 19 people were taken into custody at the protest and structures were disbanded. Police also confiscated a hatchet in the area.
Once police started detaining protesters, the demonstration quickly cleared, resolving before 1 a.m.
Protest organizers had said they wouldn't leave Presidents’ Circle until the U disclosed its involvement with — and divests in — Israel.
“They need to understand that the people have power," Christopher Loera-Peña said. "We can mobilize entire communities to pull out, put pressure on the university. And historically, that's what's made change: people coming out en masse."
In response to the encampment, the Utah Department of Public Safety tweeted:
"We fully support everyone’s civil right to express themselves through freedom of speech. Yet we do not tolerate the acts of criminal activity, including but not limited to property damage, unlawful assembly or camping, threats or violent acts."
Governor Spencer Cox shared a similar message, adding that the First Amendment does not protect "disruptions to our learning institutions."
“We have jobs, we have school, we have kids to take care of, parents to take care of, but we understand that we need to sacrifice to make change," Loera-Peña said.
The Chief Safety Officer at the University of Utah said in a statement in part, "Campuses serve as a stage and forum for not just students, but for members of the community who want their voice to be heard. We honor all voices, but the right to speech on our campus must occur within the confines of state law and campus policies.”
University police said final exams will continue Tuesday, traffic in the area has resumed and University of Utah hospitals and clinics remain open.
