Yassin Terou on arrest: 'The way I was treated, nobody should be going through it'
Yassin Terou, owner of Yassin's Falafel House restaurants, was booked and released from a Knox County jail with his arm in a sling after he was arrested on the University of Tennessee campus May 15.
He told Knox News he suffered nerve damage in his hand during the arrest and his heart rate was so elevated that he was checked for a heart attack.
“The way I was treated, nobody should be going through it with anybody, especially with their own police,” Terou said from outside the jail on the morning of May 16.
He was among the 11 pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested on a citation of misdemeanor criminal trespass after they stood their ground when police asked them to leave the College of Law lawn on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus. The group was holding a Nakba Day vigil that marks the date of the Israeli Declaration of Independence and commemorates the displacement of Palestinians before and after Israel's establishment on May 14, 1948.
Terou received the 2018 Peace Award from the Rotary Club of Knoxville and was named the Knoxville News Sentinel Person of the Year in 2018. His restaurant was named the "Nicest Place in America" in 2018 by Reader's Digest. Terou is a refugee from war-torn Syria and earned his American citizenship in 2020.
“Before we walked, I told (demonstrators) we need to make sure everybody will be safe and we will not cause any damage to UT because this is our university and our city, and this is what everybody agreed,” Terou said. “Unfortunately the response from the administration of UT was so aggressive and they want just to show they can arrest everyone in a minute.”
He said he spoke to officers before he was arrested and asked them to give demonstrators a little more time after they were ordered to leave within 10 minutes. He said he was there to protect the students "even if I need to be arrested with them."
“This wasn't only about Gaza, even if my heart and my soul is about stopping the killing of everyone in the Holy Land. But was today about free speech,” Terou said. “They wanted to take it from the students now and from us next.”
University of Tennessee spokesperson Kerry Gardner said the university told the group that a separate space was set aside for their ongoing demonstration. She said administrators and police issued "personal warnings" before the arrests. Three of the arrestees were students, she said.
"Despite these clear and repeated warnings, several members chose not to vacate the area and were arrested for trespassing," she said."The University of Tennessee respects individual’s rights to free speech and free expression and is committed to managing the campus for all. We will continue to be guided by the law and university policy, neutral of viewpoint."
About the pro-Palestinian demonstrations at UT
Demonstrations began on campus May 1, when a group consisting mostly of students and some community members called for the full disclosure of all university investments and financial ties to Israel.
The group, which calls itself the People's School for Gaza, has continued to gather in some capacity nearly every day since as it continues its push for UT to disinvest from those ties. Twice, police arrested demonstrators for gathering at the College of Law. The first round of arrests happened May 2.
The following day, the group began gathering on the Student Union lawn, which later was reserved for demonstrators by the university between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. The state's law against overnight "camping" kicks in at 10 p.m. and can result in a felony charge.
For the most part, demonstrations have looked like what the group has called them: "spontaneous study sessions." Students have sat in circles on the Student Union lawn and used the time to educate themselves and others about what's going on in Gaza.
Their sense of calm contrasts with the powerful feelings they share about Israel's ongoing offensive against the Gaza Strip after Hamas attackers broke out of the blockaded Palestinian territory Oct. 7 and killed more than 1,100 people, most of them Israeli civilians, and took hostage about 250 civilians and soldiers.
Seven months later, Israel's military actions have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, the United Nations said May 8.
In a letter to student activists, UT said it has no direct investments in companies in Israel. The UT System invests donations globally through third-party funds and it estimates 0.2% of the portfolio is invested in Israel-based companies.
Reporter Silas Sloan contributed.
Angela Dennis is the Knox News race, justice and equity reporter. Email angela.dennis@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville restaurant owner Yassin Terou injured during protest arrest
