Virginia Tech Removes Students from Pro-Palestinian Protest

Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - Virginia Tech police began removing demonstrators from an on-campus protest Sunday night, saying they were trespassing.

According to Virginia Tech, a group of pro-Palestinian protestors from the university community gathered on campus and placed tents on the lawn at the Graduate Life Center. School officials say the gathering was not affiliated with the university or a registered university event.

The University used social media to urge the public to avoid the area and said that police had been monitoring the situation. Late Sunday, campus leaders felt that the potential for it to become unsafe was growing. Police warned the students to disperse, then around 10 p.m. started detaining protestors.

On Sunday, the University posted an announcement saying, "As Sunday progressed, protestors continued to refuse to comply with policy and took further steps to occupy the lawn of the Graduate Life Center and outdoor spaces next to Squires Student Center. Given these actions by protesters, the university recognized that the situation had the increasing potential to become unsafe."

Monday morning at 3:32 a.m., the University updated their alert to say that the incident had stabilized but continued to urge people to avoid the area.