Police clear GW protest, prompting House to cancel hearing on DC response

Police began clearing a pro-Palestinian encampment on George Washington University’s campus early Wednesday morning, and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee announced it would cancel a planned hearing with Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser about the District’s response to the demonstrations.

According to the student paper, The GW Hatchet, hundreds of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers descended on H Street to clear out University Yard, where students began protesting April 25.

Police released a statement Wednesday saying officers have worked to pursue “non-arrest methods to deescalate tensions” to ensure the safety of the students, but there has been a gradual escalation “in the volatility of the protest.”

Videos shared online show students protesting outside university President Ellen Granberg’s home in D.C. MPD said it worked with GW administration and campus police to disperse the demonstrators from campus and surrounding streets.

“During the course of the operation, arrests were made for Assault on a Police Officer and Unlawful Entry,” MPD’s statement said. “MPD will continue to be supportive of universities or other private entities who need assistance.”

The police activity follows a Sunday letter from Granberg to local D.C. officials asking for their help to increase police presence around the demonstrations. Students denounced Granberg’s alleged refusal to meet with organizers about their demands, the Hatchet reported.  

Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement that a hearing on the protests that had been set for later Wednesday was no longer necessary.

“I had a good conversation with Mayor Bowser. I thanked her for finally clearing the trespassers off the GW Campus. It was unfortunate the situation at GW forced the Oversight Committee to act; however it was apparent that the DC police force was not going to do their job,” Comer said.

During the clearing Wednesday, at least two officers deployed pepper spray on protesters, the Hatchet reported. Video shared online shows protesters being sprayed and backing away from officers.

MPD said in a press conference Wednesday morning that no officers were seriously injured. When asked if students could set up protests elsewhere on campus, MPD said it is up to Granberg, but they would no longer be allowed to encamp on the university quad area.

GW said in a statement reported by The Associated Press that it is committed to protecting students’ right to free expression, but the “encampment had evolved into an unlawful activity, with participants in direct violation of multiple university policies and city regulations.”

In a statement released later Wednesday, the university said the GW Police Department and MPD warned demonstrators to leave, and those who remained were arrested.

The campus remains open and final examinations are proceeding as scheduled, the university said. An increased police presence will remain on University Yard and the surrounding area, which will remain closed until after the commencement ceremony on May 19.

The GW protests mirror those happening on college campuses across the country. More than 2,000 arrests have occurred since demonstrators began asking their universities to divest from Israeli companies or companies that supply Israel with weapons.

Updated at 2:02 p.m. EDT