KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A prominent community leader said he filed an official complaint with the University of Tennessee Police Department after he was arrested during the "Nakba Day Vigil," located near the College of Law lawn.
Yassin Terou was put in handcuffs and led into a paddy wagon after a group participating in the vigil was warned they were in an unauthorized area and had ten minutes to leave. Terou said he tried to speak with police and asked if they could quickly use the area to mourn Palestinians killed and communities uprooted during the Nakba.
He was then arrested alongside ten other people — including three students. The university said he was not affiliated with UT. At the time, a webpage with the Department of Religious Studies said he was on the Board of Visitors. A few days later, the webpage was not available.
On Friday, he said on social media he filed an official complaint about the arrest. He said officers aggravated existing nerve damage during the arrest, which caused his arm to need a sling. He spent some part of the night in the hospital after he was arrested, Terou said.
UT also released a statement about Terou's complaint, available below.
"Mr. Terou has completed a complaint form and been in contact with our department. We will follow our process and investigate any concerns brought to our attention. All events from Wednesday May 15, 2024, are documented fully on bodycam. Per policy, we do not release the complaint form until the investigation is complete."
In his mugshot, Terou smiled. He said he was happy to be "on the right side, in the right history."
On Monday, Terou said on social media that he connected with an attorney and that he is "looking forward to (his) court date."
Terou, himself a refugee from Syria, previously said he wanted to act as a mediator in discussions about Israel and Palestine. He also said he wanted to protect the First Amendment rights of students at UT and routinely showed up at the People's School for Gaza.
UT repeatedly said it is allowed to implement time, place and manner restrictions on demonstrations. It said the People's School for Gaza could use the plaza near the Student Union until 10 p.m. each day until May 18. The Nakba Day Vigil was organized across the street at the College of Law lawn.
Terou is the owner of Yassin's Falafel House, which Reader's Digest said was the Nicest Place in America in 2018. He was also recognized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2019 for his community involvement and volunteer efforts. He has also been recognized several times for his work organizing relief efforts for tragedies worldwide.
Background on the Israel-Gaza Crisis
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Israeli officials said around 1,200 people died in the Oct. 7 Hamas-led raid in Southern Israel, and some 570 Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed since.
The ongoing Israeli offensive has also been internationally condemned, and the International Court of Justice called for Israel to prevent death and destruction after South Africa filed allegations that the country committed genocide in Gaza.
Across the U.S., protests at college campuses have also flared to show support for Palestine. At several schools nationally, police and National Guard members were called to force the demonstrations to an end.
The Oct. 7 bombing followed decades of tension, during which time the Human Rights Watch said Gazans lived in an "open-air prison." Most of the tension centers around Palestine and Gaza, an area that was divided as part of the "Nakba" — a period of displacements in the region following World War II as Israel was created.
"It remains a deeply traumatic event in their collective memory and continues to shape their struggle for justice and for their right to return to their homes," the UN said about the Nakba.
Hamas was elected to power during the mid-2000s. The United Nations said in 2019 more than half of all people in Gaza were under 18 years old, indicating they were not able to vote for Hamas when Israel declared war.
The group launched the attack on the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War — causing an initial death toll that was unseen since the 1973 war between Israel, Egypt and Syria. The day after the Oct. 7 bombing, Israel declared war against Hamas and started bombarding Gaza.
The Gaza Strip was home to millions of people. The UN said more than 70% of all housing units have been destroyed, and around 80% have been destroyed in the northern area. The UN said the entire Gazan population is facing a "severe food crisis," escalating the risk of famine and especially impacting vulnerable groups. A UN Special Rapporteur for food also said Israel "has mounted a starvation campaign."
It also said on April 30 that the region's health system was in jeopardy. Only five hospitals in northern Gaza were partially functional, and only six were operational in the southern part of the region.
It said around 86% of schools were damaged, and 72% would need at least major rehabilitation work. It also said around 1.7 million people were displaced across the Gaza Strip, with families having to move multiple times in search of safety.
Around 200 days since the start of the crisis, violence continued flaring across the region.
The UN also said Israeli settler violence was prevalent, and over two days there were 18 incidents involving Israeli settlers. It said armed settlers held Palestinian farmers at gunpoint, seized crops, and assaulted shepherds. In the Jordan Valley, the UN also said settlers entered and tore down Palestinian tents.
Since Oct. 7, Israel has cut off much access to food, water, medicine and electricity in Gaza. On May 7, Israeli forces took control of Gaza's Rafah border crossing, prompting fears of a full-scale invasion of the city after talks in Cairo of a cease-fire with Hamas without any clear agreement.
The Pentagon said a newly built U.S. pier on the Gaza Strip could lead to new deliveries of food and supplies. Trucks carrying aid rolled into the region on May 17, according to the Associated Press, and the shipment was the first in an operation that military leaders said could scale up to 150 truckloads a day.
Aid has been slow to get into Gaza, with backups of trucks waiting for Israeli inspections. The U.S. and other nations used air drops to send food into Gaza, and aid organizations said several hundred trucks of resources are needed per day to fully help the region. With the Rafah crossing captured, Israel gained full control over the entry and exit of people and goods for the first time since it withdrew soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005.