In the buildup to breaking through the barricades that blocked off University Yard from H Street late Sunday night, pro-Palestinian demonstrators remained inside two encampments for more than 90 hours.
The protesters demand GW’s divestment from companies tied to Israel, the removal of reported charges against pro-Palestinian student organizers, protection of pro-Palestinian speech, disclosure all its endowments and investments and the end to academic partnerships with Israel. Nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza as of Monday, many of whom are women and children.
It’s been 24 years since the last major campus occupation protest. In 2000, protesters swarmed the Foggy Bottom campus, creating human chains diverting traffic to prevent the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings.
About 85 tents now sit in U-Yard, with roughly 24 more pitched on H Street. Demonstrators have indicated that they do not intend to leave the area.
Here’s a rundown on the major events of each of the four days:
Day 1 — Thursday
The encampment began early Thursday morning, four days before they broke through the barricade. About 50 protesters pitched tents in U-Yard around 5 a.m. Later that day, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in the space.
GW, George Mason, American, Georgetown, Howard and Gallaudet universities and the universities of Maryland and Maryland, Baltimore County, collaborated to organize the encampment.
Demonstrators played live messages from students living in Gaza just after 2 p.m. A student in Gaza thanked D.C.-area chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine for hosting the demonstration.
University President Ellen Granberg and Provost Chris Bracey issued their first statement on the encampment at 2:22 p.m. Thursday, saying GW requested the Metropolitan Police Department’s assistance. The statement said GW will “continue to uphold” free expression but called the encampment “unauthorized.”
GW Law officials relocated students taking their final exams Thursday and Friday, citing noise concerns from the demonstration.
Dozens of faculty members from GW, Georgetown University and the University of Maryland joined hands with their backs to the encampment for about an hour and a half Thursday.
By about 4 p.m., students sat in circles around tents and worked on homework, shared food, chatted and read. They sat on tarps, blankets and on the grass.
Officials initially set a 7 p.m. deadline on Thursday for the demonstration to end, but police were not visible in the area at the time. GWPD Chief James Tate said officials have offered student protestors a move to Anniversary Park, a fenced-off area on F Street.
Protesters set up a medic tent around 7:15 p.m. Hundreds of demonstrators entered the encampment around 7:20, forming a human barricade at least five people wide in most directions.
At 7:28 p.m., the University issued a statement to The Hatchet that reiterated the encampment violates “several” University policies and said the GW and MPD are “continuing to work in coordination” to determine how to address the situation.
The demonstration stretched well into the night as protesters did nighttime prayers before settling into quiet. MPD cruisers circled the block and GWPD officers patrolled the encampment.
Day 2 — Friday
Organizers prepared for arrests starting around 2 a.m. Friday, citing concerns over the lack of light and protesters’ vulnerability while sleeping. They announced their plan to react to sweeps and directed demonstrators to pack their bags.
A group of roughly 10 GWPD officers reappeared at the southeast corner of U-Yard at about 6:10 a.m. MPD barricaded all entrances to U-Yard around 7 a.m. Friday.
By 8:26 a.m. Friday, only the protesters willing to risk arrest — roughly a dozen — remained in U-Yard.
A GWPD officer was stationed outside Corcoran Hall on Friday morning, seemingly escorting demonstrators to the bathroom in small groups. Organizers set up a bathroom tent with several buckets surrounding it.
The University issued a statement at about 10 a.m. Friday saying demonstrators in U-Yard are trespassing private property and violating GW regulations. Officials threatened interim suspension for students participating in the U-Yard encampment if they did not leave by 1 p.m. Friday, according to a Student Coalition for Palestine at GWU Instagram post.
Two more protesters left the U-Yard encampment around 2:10 p.m. Friday. Officials issued a statement Friday afternoon saying demonstrators had been notified they “have been and continue to be” violating University policy and that the encampment is considered trespassing.
Organizers read another message from a student in Gaza around 4 p.m.
“Never stop. You are our only hope left after everyone has failed us,” the message stated.
Demonstrators drew messages in chalk on the sidewalk outside the encampment Friday afternoon, including “Free Palestine” in green and red; “From Punjab to Palestine” with a red heart; “AU alum proud of these students”; and one written in Arabic with blue chalk reads “Free Palestine.”
The Washington Post reported Friday afternoon that MPD officers had surrounded the encampment and were prepared to enter around 3 a.m. Friday, but senior leaders in the police chief and mayor’s office told University officials they wanted to avoid the potential of poor optics from a violent confrontation with protesters.
By Friday afternoon, 54 GW faculty had signed a letter in support of the encampment. More than 100 faculty and staff from half a dozen universities across the D.C., Maryland and Virginia regions signed the letter, which calls on universities’ boards of trustees and presidents to “reject all pressures” to criminalize encampments and demonstrations.
“We condemn any move by GW to shut down student gatherings and restrict access rather than open spaces,” the letter reads.
Student protesters said at a rally at about 8:23 p.m. that officials suspended seven students, charging them each with nine counts of misconduct.
A crowd protested on H Street outside the U-Yard encampment, peaking at about 300 protesters Friday evening. MPD cars closed the street to through traffic.
Protesters began pitching tents on H Street around 11:21 p.m. Friday, reaching a total of more than 40. Protesters passed out plates of food, some of which has been donated by local Arab American restaurants.
Day 3 — Saturday
Two additional demonstrators exited the U-Yard encampment around 1:25 a.m. Saturday. Five people crowded the barricade to conceal their departure.
The encampment faced intermittent rain throughout the day Saturday. An MPD officer said Saturday morning the department is focused on reopening the stretch of H Street where demonstrators pitched tents as soon as possible.
Officials added barricades constraining the encampment to the northern half of U-Yard Saturday morning, separating them from Lisner and Bell halls and GW Law. Interim Vice President for Safety and Facilities Baxter Goodly said the protesters would still have access to the bathroom and have sufficient space for their tents.
“We think that they have plenty of the lawn here and we felt we could reclaim some of the lawn without impacting their site,” Goodly said.
Organizers distributed lunch to the group of about 100 demonstrators that assembled in front of the encampment around 2:30 p.m. An organizer said the “larger community” provided turkey and vegetable wraps and macaroni as well as nonperishable food, like protein bars and chips.
By 7 p.m. Saturday, security guards had replaced most GWPD officers inside the U-Yard encampment. A security guard said officials relocated guards from their posts in residence halls to supervise the encampment, and their shifts have ranged between nine and 12 hours.
By Saturday evening, more than two dozen GW student organizations released statements or made speeches in solidarity with the demonstration. Most of the staff inside the encampment switched to private security guards.
Day 4 — Sunday
Officials entered U-Yard to face the encampment’s south side at about 9:07 a.m. Dean of Students Colette Coleman walked to the barricade at about 9:40 a.m. asking to speak with encampment leaders.
Two pro-Israel counter-protesters approached the encampment at about 1:10 p.m. Pro-Palestinian protesters told the counter-protesters “This is a liberation zone, this is a peaceful zone” and waved Palestinian flags.
One counter-protester appeared to livestream the interaction on Instagram.
The University issued a campus advisory just before 5:30 p.m. stating access to buildings on the Foggy Bottom Campus remains on “GWorld Safety mode,” requiring community members with regular access to tap their GWorld cards to enter buildings.
During the evening break in protest programming, around 6 p.m., roughly a dozen children sketched on pieces of paper and taped their art to the barricade. Children played with bubbles on the sidewalks, grabbed popsicles and ran through the closed street.
Granberg released her latest statement at 8:58 p.m. Sunday, reiterating protesters within the encampment are in violation of GW’s rules of conduct and behavior and rebuking “hateful language being displayed.”
She and Provost Chris Bracey, who co-signed the statement, said the University continues to offer Anniversary Park as an alternative location for the encampment and urged protesters to move “immediately.” They said organizers would be allowed to be there until 7 p.m. each day.
Granberg and Bracey said the University is committed to ensuring finals and Commencement occur “safely and appropriately.”
Within three hours, the encampment’s barricades would fall.
