At least 13 people were arrested, and a public safety officer was injured after a group of Stanford students and alumni barricaded themselves inside the office of the university's president early Wednesday morning, according to university and law enforcement officials.
The group was protesting the institute's response to pro-Palestinian protesters' demands over the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas, organizers said.
The university said the injured officer was shoved by protesters who were interfering with a transport vehicle. It did not provide the officer's condition. The building sustained extensive damage to its interior and the exterior, officials said.
"We are appalled that our students chose to take this action and we will work with law enforcement to ensure that they face the full consequences allowed by law," the university said in a statement. "All arrested students will be immediately suspended and in case any of them are seniors, they will not be allowed to graduate."
According to the group Stanford for Palestine, the students and alumni locked themselves inside Stanford President Richard Saller's office around 5:30 a.m.
The protesters said they refuse to leave Saller's office until the Stanford administration and the Stanford Board of Trustees take action to address "their role in enabling and profiting from the ongoing genocide in Gaza."
Stanford for Palestine said the university has refused to negotiate with the pro-Palestine advocates over Gaza concerns. The protesters have accused Stanford University of "holding multi-million dollar investments in corporations that provide material and logistical support to Israel's current military" in the Gaza armed conflict.
Local
"Stanford students have tried, repeatedly, to engage with administration through protest. Since October 2023, over 20 rallies have taken place, with undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, and faculty coming together to demand that Stanford honors its commitment to human rights. Each time, administration has refused," the group said in a statement. "The University is profiting off the genocide of Palestinians as we speak, and we refuse to be silenced."
Stanford's full statement Wednesday morning in response to the protest:
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
"This morning, a group of individuals unlawfully entered Building 10, which houses the offices of the president and provost. Law enforcement has arrested 13 individuals, and the building has been cleared. A public safety officer was injured after being shoved by protesters who were interfering with a transport vehicle. There has been extensive damage to the interior of Building 10 and exterior of the buildings in the quad.
"We are appalled that our students chose to take this action and we will work with law enforcement to ensure that they face the full consequences allowed by law. All arrested students will be immediately suspended and in case any of them are seniors, they will not be allowed to graduate.
"We have consistently emphasized the need for constructive engagement and peaceful protest when there is a disagreement in views. This was not peaceful protest and actions such as what occurred this morning have no place at Stanford. We ask anyone with information related to this action to contact Stanford Department of Public Safety at 650-329-2413."
