DC police refuse request from George Washington U prez to aid clearing of Gaza camp

DC Metropolitan Police Department said that it would not help clear the Gaza camp set up by students and activists at George Washington University (GWU).

Metropolitan Police Department Chief of Police Pamela Smith said on Thursday, "I think here in the District of Columbia, we allow people the opportunity to have freedom of speech, and that’s what we’re seeing right now. There has been no violence, no violent behavior, no confrontations," according to The Hill.

"If the behavior changes, then our procedures and our process might change."

In a statement released on Sunday, GWU President Ellen Granberg said, "what is currently happening at GW is not a peaceful protest protected by the First Amendment or our university’s policies. The demonstration, like many around the country, has grown into what can only be classified as an illegal and potentially dangerous occupation of GW property."

She said that while the encampment has been peaceful "at certain times," it is no longer "peaceful or productive" when "protesters overrun barriers established to protect the community, vandalize a university statue and flag, surround and intimidate GW students with antisemitic images and hateful rhetoric, chase people out of a public yard based on their perceived beliefs, and ignore, degrade, and push GW Police Officers and university maintenance staff." She said that all of these things have occurred within the last five days.

"It is also essential to highlight that at no point was this encampment lawful. From the moment GW students declared their intent to establish an encampment on University Yard, they were in direct violation of multiple university policies and were trespassing on a space explicitly reserved for the GW Law final examinations."

She said it was also "clear that this is no longer a GW student demonstration. It has been co-opted by individuals who are largely unaffiliated with our community and do not have our community's best interest in mind."

She said that the university has "requested the assistance of the DC Metropolitan Police Department."

"As a university, we are not equipped to single-handedly manage an unprecedented situation such as this. The GW police force is, and should only be, prepared to protect our community during normal university operations and to respond to routine and urgent incidents. When unlawful activities go beyond these limits, we must rely on the support and experience of the DC Metropolitan Police Department," Granberg said.  

"At this time, the District is in communication with the university, and the DC Metropolitan Police are providing an increased security presence on and around University Yard," she added.  

The ongoing encampment at GWU has seen the statue of the school’s namesake vandalized with Palestinian flags, graffiti, stickers, and a keffiyeh

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about Biden’s response to the DC police’s decision not to get involved, to which she said she would leave it to the school and police department to "work it through."

"We’re gonna continue to call for peaceful protest."