Police remove protesters from building at Stanford, 13 arrested

Stanford police said they arrested 13 people this morning while they were removing pro-Palestinian demonstrators who occupied a campus building early this morning that houses the university president and provost offices.

The university said there was extensive damage inside and outside the building and an officer was lightly injured.

The takeover began near dawn on the last day of classes for the spring quarter. Some protesters barricaded themselves inside while other linked arms outside, The Stanford Daily reported. The group chanted “Palestine will be free, we will free Palestine.”

The student newspaper said one of its reporters was among those detained.

Within about two hours, officers had broken into the building and began taking people into custody.

“Law enforcement has arrested 13 individuals, and the building has been cleared,” university spokeswoman Dee Mostofi said in an email, saying later that, “A public safety officer was injured after being shoved by protesters who were interfering with a transport vehicle.”

“There has been extensive damage to the interior and exterior of the building,” Mostofi said. “No other campus operations have been affected at this time.”

A group calling itself Liberate Stanford, made up of Stanford students and alumni, said on Instagram they entered the office of Stanford president Richard Saller at approximately 6 a.m. and barricaded themselves inside.

“We refuse to leave until Stanford administration and the Stanford Board of Trustees meet our demands and take action to address their role in enabling and profiting from the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the group said.

The group said they unofficially renamed the building in honor of Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, a Palestinian general surgeon they said was killed by Israel in April.

Stanford is among colleges and universities around the country where campus protests have occurred to demand their schools separate themselves from companies assisting in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Columbia University agreed to take additional steps to make students feel secure on campus under a settlement reached with a Jewish student Tuesday.

The Associated Press has recorded at least 86 incidents since April 18 where arrests were made at campus protests across the U.S. More than 3,130 people have been arrested on the campuses of 65 colleges and universities. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.