3 USF protestors arrested after pro-Palestinian rally on campus

Parker Fluke
·2 min read
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TAMPA, Fla. - Three people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian rally at the University of South Florida on Monday, and organizers are planning another protest on Tuesday.

As demonstrators voice their support for Palestine on college campuses across the country, a peaceful protest on USF's campus quickly turned on Monday.

READ: Columbia University updates: School begins suspending protesters after ultimatum to disband camp

The protesters had started setting up tents near the MLK Plaza at the Main Tampa campus. However, under USF's rules, tents are only allowed to be set up on campus under certain conditions. This group didn't have permission to do so.

<div>Student demonstrators occupy the pro-Palestinian "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on the West Lawn of Columbia University on April 24, 2024 in New York City. School administrators and pro-Palestinian student protesters made progress on negotiations after the school set a midnight deadline for students to disband the encampment. The students agreed to remove many of the tents erected on the lawn, ensured that non-students would leave, and bared discriminatory or harassing language among the protesters. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)</div>

The three people arrested included one student, one employee, and one person who was not affiliated with the university.

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These protesters say their encampment is in solidarity with students across the nation.

According to a statement from the school, the organization, the Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) had been placed on interim suspension last week after causing a disruption on campus.

Suspended organizations aren't permitted to host events, which USF said they reminded SDS of ‘several times.'

Once the protest moved away from MLK Plaza and the library to other locations on campus, protesters began to try to set up tents, ignoring repeated warnings and rebukes from university staff, according to the school's statement.

READ: Columbia University protests: A timeline of how we got here

Monday's arrests come in the midst of a rash of protests across the country on college campuses, most notably at Columbia University, where protesters stormed and occupied a building overnight on Tuesday.