The William Pitt Union will resume regular operating hours today after the university temporarily closed it during a pro-Palestinian protest yesterday.
Police attempted to move a group of protesters, who were singing protest songs and chants, off of the university lawn, back into the public streets and sidewalks. Two people were arrested. Jared Stonesifer, a representative for the University of Pittsburgh, confirmed that the two individuals were charged with misdemeanor trespassing and one was a student. Representatives for Pitt didn’t immediately respond to additional requests for comment.
The university’s student publication, Pitt News, posted video of what it said was the police making the arrests on social media.
The group of protesters are calling for the university to divest from any companies or institutions that support Israel and its war with Hamas. The protest had started on Tuesday down the street in Schenley Plaza without any arrests. The arrests come after arrests at Columbia University last week sparked a wave of protests and some additional arrests at universities across the country.
Video from TribLive showed the demonstrators holding hands in a circle, chanting “Palestine will be free” and accusing the university of contributing to genocide.
The university published three short updates on its website and social media yesterday. The university said it was closing the student union “out of an abundance of caution” and asked students to avoid the area around the student union and Cathedral of Learning where the protests were taking place.
The protests occurred on the same day as Pitt’s commencement ceremony at the Petersen Events Center.
Representatives for the Pittsburgh Police Department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The protest had moved back to Schenley Plaza as of Monday morning, according to Stonesifer.
