Six people arrested during pro-Palestinian protests at UNC expected in court Thursday
The six people arrested during the pro-Palestinian protests at UNC are expected to be in court Thursday.
The six people were arrested during clashes with police on April 30. Three of them were UNC students at the time. Some students were banned from campus after the protests.
The people facing charges are due to face a judge Thursday at the Orange County courthouse in Hillsborough.
Organizers from UNC’s Students for Justice in Palestine said they plan to rally outside the courthouse Thursday morning. They’re asking the county DA to drop the charges.
That rally is set start at 9 a.m.
What led up to their arrests?
On the morning of April 30, police officers were attempting to break up an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters who had been camping out for days on UNC's campus.
As officers were tossing tents and clearing out the encampment, dozens of protesters were unwilling to leave. Law enforcement surrounded the area as pro-Palestine supporters continued to protest, demanding that UNC cut ties with Israel and calling for administrators to release information on investments with Israeli-connected companies.
WRAL News was live at UNC-Chapel Hill, where police could be seen removing protesters. People could be seen with zip ties around their wrists being taken away by police. One person was seen being dragged by police.
That afternoon, the already tense situation escalated after the American flag was lowered and replaced with a Palestinian flag on the main quad.
Dozens of people were detained and several were cited, but only six people were charged with trespassing. They are expected to appear in court Thursday.
