UC Berkeley says 8 protesters arrested have been ID'd
BERKELEY, Calif. - Tents, flags, signs calling for an end to the Gaza war, and other messages on the sidewalk were gone Friday afternoon, after UC Berkeley officials called on law enforcement officers to remove protesters who had taken over the vacant building on the 2500 block of Channing Way.
On Thursday night, UC Berkeley police, along with officers from 20 different law enforcement agencies from Foster City up to Fairfield were called in to remove the encampment at the UC Berkeley Anna Head building which had been boarded up since a fire damaged the structure two years ago.
"What happened at Anna Head was from the very beginning, a criminal act," Dan Mogulof, a UC Berkeley spokesperson said. "They broke into a building. They vandalized the building. They trespassed on university property."
Mogulof says police used a bullhorn to give advance warning to the protesters to leave the site or face arrest.
Friday afternoon, Mogulof said that of the twelve protesters who were arrested, only one was a UC Berkeley student. He said he was not able to disclose the name or whether the student would face any internal school disciplinary action.
Mogulof says four other protesters arrested were Berkeley residents, two protesters were from the greater Bay Area, and one person is from Colorado.
Four other people who were arrested have refused to give their identity, so Mogulof says the Alameda County Sheriff's office is investigating.
Police in riot gear erected barricades surrounding the protest site on Thursday night to keep other protesters from entering the area.
Mogulof says the law enforcement response was different Thursday night from the response to a different group of anti-war protesters at the Sproul Plaza encampment on campus because those protesters did not break the law. That group reached an agreement with the university to address issues regarding UC Berkeley's investment in companies that are connected to the Gaza war.
"We have always at UC Berkeley responded differently to criminal activity than we have to violation of campus policies," Mogulof said.
Some neighbors said they do not approve of people from outside Berkeley taking over campus buildings and trespassing on university property.
Others say they don't agree with the police response when protests here have been largely peaceful.
"I don't think police action among younger students or just people of any sort is necessary during a demonstration of activism," said Benjamin Dunn, a UC Berkeley senior.
"People are taking this time and platform to speak up for their values and that's something that Berkeley prides itself on, and I'm here to support it," said Aarushi Riti, a UC Berkeley 2024 graduate.
"In comparison to other college campuses and stuff I think our protests have been a lot more peaceful," said Sanajana Yerramaneni, also a UC Berkeley 2024 graduate, "Which is why I think we've all been pretty supportive of it."
Mogulof says the protesters were arrested on charges including vandalism, burglary, and conspiracy.
KTVU reached out to the Alameda County District Attorney about whether she plans to file charges, but has not yet received a response.
