KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Nine people, seven University of Tennessee students and two people not affiliated with the university, are in custody following the peaceful demonstrations on campus, according to the UT Police Department.
Protesters gathered on the Law School lawn to raise awareness of Israel's attacks on Gaza. They have gathered since Wednesday morning and the atmosphere was peaceful.
Throughout the day people were reading, studying, standing in solidarity with the people in Palestine, and have been in conversation with school leaders.
UT Chancellor Donde Plowman read a statement that she sent to students, faculty and staff on Friday during the UT Knoxville Advisory Board meeting. She said the nine people who were arrested had been released and cited, and the seven who were students will face sanctions under the student code of conduct.
“This was not the result that any of us wanted," she said. "We will continue to engage with all of our students to provide support and we will also continue to enforce the law and university policy for the benefit and protection of everyone in our community. We ask that all volunteers express themselves in ways that respect the rights of others.”
Plowman said UT worked through the day to alert the demonstrators that the event was violating a policy over the use of outdoor space, and that their plans for the evening would violate state law. She said campus leaders gave students time to speak within their group, and Vice Chancellor For Student Life Frank Cuevas warned the demonstrators that UTPD would respond if they didn't disband.
UTPD provided 10News with the following statement:
"As communicated repeatedly today with organizers, the crowd gathered on the Law School lawn was in violation of university events policy. We do not take this situation lightly and worked throughout the day to give people information with which to make informed decisions. We met with leaders from the group, repeatedly informing them that anyone remaining in the space after 9 p.m. is subject to suspension from the university or arrest.
After this meeting and an announcement to the entire group, the group did not vacate the area and were trespassing. Nine group members were taken into custody, including seven students and two people not affiliated with the university. Any student arrested will be referred to student conduct and will be released this evening.
The University of Tennessee respects individual’s rights to free speech and free expression, and is committed to the safety of all members of our campus community. Anyone on campus must follow university policy. We will continue to be guided by the law and university policy, neutral of viewpoint."
UT students are calling university leaders for three actions: pressure the school to divest from companies that have ties with Israel, cut the study abroad program to Israel and protect student's freedom of speech.
The university gave students until 9 p.m. to either leave or "face the consequences." After the first warning, the university gave students a 15-minute warning to leave but did not.
UT said if they remain in this portion of the school, it will be considered trespassing. They will be charged with a misdemeanor for trespassing and, if they are students, they can face consequences with the university.
In the same manner, UT announced the value of freedom of expression from its students as the protests were taking place. They posted on a sign below stating:
"At UT Knoxville, we champion the principles of free expression, encouraging our student and campus community to openly voice their opinions, whether in support of or against various actions and viewpoints. By law, non-affiliated people may also visit certain parts of campus to express ideas that do or do not reflect institutional values. We understand that these events may elicit a range of emotions and perspectives. We encourage respectful discourse and open dialogue."
10News has reached out to the Knoxville Police Department for comment. They responded by stating, "KPD has and will continue to support UTPD’s response to the demonstrations on the University of Tennessee campus."
This is a developing story.