D.C. police cleared the pro-Palestinian protest encampment at George Washington University early Wednesday and arrested 33 demonstrators.
Police deployed pepper spray on the streets of Foggy Bottom and demonstrators scrambled to clear it from their eyes with water. Some vomited.
The police action on Day 14 of the protests began after 3 a.m., after school administrators asked for help removing students and others from campus property.
“They came in full riot gear – hundreds of cops,” demonstrator Mimi Ziad told News4. She said police shoved demonstrators and sprayed them with pepper spray.
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Police said they used pepper spray only after officers were assaulted.
Video shows officers with bikes advancing on a large group of demonstrators as people shout.
Officers arrested 33 people, including 29 for unlawful entry, Chief of Police Pamela Smith said at a news conference. Four people were arrested for assault on an officer, law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told News4. It's unclear how many of those arrested were students.
More than 500 officers were involved in the police response, sources said. No officers were hurt.
Some protesters were sleeping and others were studying for finals in the moments before police advanced, one demonstrator told News4.
Police gave demonstrators six warnings to disperse before arrests began, sources told News4.
Protesters, which included GW students and others, demanded an end to Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and the university's divestment from Israel.
Another loud but peaceful protest formed on campus in the 2100 block of H Street NW Wednesday evening. Police monitored from across the street. The protesters dispersed after about an hour.
Here’s what we know about the timeline of what police did
News4 combed through what we know so far about what happened and when. Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation helped provide a timeline.
About 3 a.m.: D.C. police arrived at the encampment and issued at least six verbal commands for protesters to disperse. A majority of protesters left at 21st and H streets NW.
About 3:30 a.m.: Some protesters refused to leave University Yard and officers began arrests. Sources said 29 people were taken into custody then. One of these people was arrested for an alleged assault on an officer. The crowd began to swell as more protesters arrived.
About 4 a.m.: Protesters began to march along Pennsylvania Avenue and head toward campus.
About 4:15 a.m.: Protesters met the police line at 20th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Police deployed pepper spray as protesters engaged with the police line. Three more people were arrested at this location – all for allegedly assaulting an officer. News4 video shows protesters using water to clear their eyes.
Here's what DC police said about why they cleared the George Washington University protest encampment
For days, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Metropolitan Police Department had resisted pressure to clear the demonstration and said peaceful protests were allowed.
MPD decided to change its posture on the protest as it became “more volatile and less stable,” Smith said.
"Over the past few days, we began to see an escalation in the volatility of protests at GW. This started last Thursday when a GW campus officer was pushed by protesters,” she said.
In another incident, an item was grabbed out of an officer’s hands, Smith said. She said public safety was her top concern.
The mayor thanked police for helping keep people safe under two weeks of demonstrations.
“We have demonstrated and upheld our values and our constitutional responsibilities,” Bowser said.
US House hearing canceled after DC police clear GW demonstration
Bowser and Smith had been set to testify later in the day about D.C.’s handling of the protest but a hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability was canceled.
"We will continue to hold D.C. officials accountable to ensure our nation’s capital is safe for all," Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement.
Two Democratic lawmakers appeared at a news conference Wednesday afternoon with five of the students who had been arrested, the Associated Press reported.
“I want all Republicans and Democrats to know that they cannot arrest their way out of this growing dissent," said Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. “This was an explicit attempt to repress students exercising their First Amendment rights.”
Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri said that "those who refuse to stop the genocide in Gaza think they can arrest and brutalize their way out of this.”
GW protesters celebrate after arrestees are released from police custody
Young people cheered and hugged outside the Metropolitan Police Department Training Academy on Blue Plains Drive in Southwest D.C after police released some of the protesters who were arrested. By midday, at least two groups of protesters had been released.
Protesters ran toward each other, hugged and chanted “Free Palestine.”
One person who was arrested said he felt “apprehension” during the booking process, but “it’s what we signed up to do.”
Crews clear George Washington U. protest encampment after police arrest 33 people
Hours after police arrested protesters, crews worked to remove tents and wash chalk off the roadway.
Areas that were filled with tents for almost two weeks were mostly empty and quiet at about midday Wednesday. A D.C. worker used a pressure washer on the street.
One woman could be heard shouting: “We’re still here!”
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Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
