University of Utah president says university ‘will continue to support free expression and enforce the rule of law’

Following the arrests of 19 people who refused to comply with police orders to disperse after establishing a short-lived encampment at University of Utah to protest over the conflict in Gaza, President Taylor Randall said the university “will continue to support free expression and enforce the rule of law.”

In a statement released Tuesday, Randall said he holds “an unwavering belief in the power of freely expressed ideas to improve our state and world. I want the students and faculty who lawfully protested yesterday to know their voices are heard and matter. They are welcome to continue to express their views legally and peacefully.

“At the University of Utah, you have an absolute right to express your opinion. You do not have the right to violate law or university policy. It is unlawful to set up structures or camp overnight on university property.”

Noting this is graduation week, “I ask our campus community to support our graduates by expressing views in a dignified, peaceful, and legal manner. By doing so, we exercise our right of free expression, honor our graduates, and exemplify civil society,” Randall said.

Among the 19 people arrested, 14 were unaffiliated with the university, four were students and one was a university employee. They were taken into custody after refusing to comply with multiple orders from police to disperse from Presidents Circle.

There were three medical calls for protesters — one with chest pains, who was transported to the hospital, another who felt lethargic and a third, who was struck in the arm by a non-lethal foam projectile fired from a baton, according to a university spokeswoman. The latter were checked by medics and then booked into jail.

About 300 students and community members picketed outside the University of Utah administration building Monday afternoon, joining a national wave of student activism over the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Protesters called for the university to divest defense contractors from its investment portfolio, claiming the companies were profiting off the ongoing war in Gaza.

The protest on the stairs of the Park Building started at 4 p.m. Monday and an operation to clear the encampment started about 11 p.m. Some protesters heeded police warnings to disperse, taking down their tents. Police cleared other tents and arrested 17 people.

Shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday, the university released a statement noting traffic in the area had resumed, its hospital and clinics were in operation, and final exams would continue.

According to the university, no protesters were injured but one officer was injured. One hatchet was confiscated.

The people arrested could face an array of university sanctions and criminal charges.

The range of possibilities for students include university discipline ranging from probation to suspension, and criminal trespass and disorderly conduct charges.

For faculty and staff, university discipline including up to termination is possible as well as criminal trespass and disorderly conduct charges.

Community members could face charges of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

Randall said several attempts were made by members of the university’s administration and Academic Senate to connect with and listen to student protesters. “Along with faculty members who were at the protest to support students, they discussed and explained that, while we fully support their constitutional rights, the establishment of an encampment was in violation of university policy and state law,” he said.

As the protesters began to establish a camp, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox tweeted, “We hold dear our First Amendment rights to protest and peaceably assemble. The First Amendment does not protect violence, threats to public safety, property damage, camping or disruptions to our learning institutions. We will protect protesters and arrest those who violate the law.”

College students on several campuses across the country have been protesting since mid-April, which has led to more than 800 arrests, academic sanctions and the removal of encampments.

The University of Southern California in Los Angeles canceled its main commencement ceremony because of safety concerns over student protests which began after Muslim student Asna Tabassum’s valedictorian speech was canceled because of unspecified security threats.

Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of civilians, as well as taking hostages. The Israeli military responded with an extensive aerial bombardment of Gaza beginning on Oct. 27, before launching a ground invasion, killing thousands in the months since.

At the University of Utah, students chanted and listened to speakers for about an hour before moving onto the lawn at Presidents Circle to form an encampment, which is unlawful.

Keith Squires, the university’s chief safety officer, in a statement said the university honors “all voices, but the right to speech on our campus must occur within the confines of state law and campus policies.”

Officers from University of Utah Police Department, Salt Lake City Police Department, Unified Police, Utah Highway Patrol and West Valley City Police Department moved in to disperse the protesters just after 11 p.m.

Some left campus after repeated warnings from police, with some taking their tents with them.

University officials said officers removed and dismantled approximately a dozen tents, stashes of water bottles, food and toilet paper.