Above photo: Pro-Palestine students attacked by Denver police. Fight Back! News/staff.
Denver, CO – On Friday, April 26, the Denver Police Department (DPD) attacked an encampment for Palestine set up by Students for a Democratic Society.
The encampment was set up on Thursday, April 25 as a part of the growing wave of student encampments across the country. The organizers are demanding their universities completely divest from Israel and corporations that are helping Israel carry out a genocide against the Palestinian people.
Around noon, April 26, university officials called DPD, which then descended upon the encampment and started arresting protesters. Over 40 students, faculty and community members were arrested. Dozens of people were assaulted by the police.
Jordan Nokes, a student at CU Denver, states, “The police were fully armed and in riot gear. I was shoved in my chest and elbowed in the head by a police officer. The force was intense enough that it caused me to fall back from the circle. I saw several other students around me being shoved and hit.” Ultimately, the police withdrew from the encampment.
“The police tried to stop our encampment today, but were unsuccessful “ said Khalid Hamu, an organizer with Denver SDS. “Shame on DPD and shame on CU Denver!”
After regrouping after the arrests, the protesters returned to the encampment and set up their tents once again.