Pro-Palestine protesters move demonstration from University of Utah to SLC jail
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — On Tuesday evening, demonstrators returned to the University of Utah campus to continue their protest efforts in support of Palestine — but the protest later moved to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail after an event organizer was arrested.
On Monday, demonstrators took to the U of U campus to protest, following the footsteps of colleges like Columbia University. Demonstrators in Utah were prepared to camp out on campus throughout the night until the university and other officials said that was not allowed.
Event organizers from Mecha de U of U said they were not planning to camp out on Tuesday.
“We’re trying to, like, strategize,” rally organizer Chris Lorea-Pena told ABC4.com. “We’re just here peacefully.”
Before Tuesday’s rally started, one of the event organizers was arrested and taken to jail. Officials told ABC4.com that the organizer was arrested for three charges from Monday (including trespassing, disorderly conduct and failure to disperse) and one charge of resisting arrest on Tuesday.
About an hour into Tuesday’s demonstration, word began to spread that the protest was moving to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail. Some protesters said they want the arrested event organizer to hear them from inside the jail, and then the demonstration moved into the street.
No one from Mecha de U of U was arrested on Monday. However, there were 19 arrests made in relation to the demonstration that night — 14 were unaffiliated with the university, four were students and one was an employee of the university, according to U of U officials.
County records show the 19 people were booked into jail on suspicion of disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and failure to disperse. One protester was booked for aggravated assault. Of those booked, 10 were male, and nine were female. Their ages ranged from 20 to 44 years old.
University officials also said two officers received minor injuries, but neither were taken to the hospital. One protester was taken to the hospital for chest pain, and two other protesters had medical calls.
“The situation in Palestine hasn’t gotten any better,” Lorea-Pena said. “Even though there’s finals, even though there’s exams we need to study for, homework to do, we need to stay in the streets.”
Protesters told ABC4.com that they plan to continue to protest as long as they can do so peacefully.
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