USF Protester Brought Gun To Pro-Palestine Rally, 10 Arrested: Reports

TAMPA, FL — One protester with a gun and 10 total were arrested during a pro-Palestinian rally Tuesday on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa, according to multiple reports.

The arrests came a day after three other people were arrested at a protest organized on campus by the Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society.

The events are among the pro-Palestinian protests sweeping college campuses across the nation as tensions escalate in the Israel-Hamas War. At USF, protesters are demanding that the university support Palestinian students and student movements, and cut ties with companies they believe are pro-Israel.

Though the Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society was suspended by USF last week for causing a disruption on campus, the group was allowed to hold a protest Tuesday near the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza on campus, Fox 13 reported. They were given a 5 p.m. deadline to end their rally and leave the property.

• Also Read: 12 Arrested At Pro-Palestinian Protests At FL Universities

Between 75 and 100 protesters showed up to campus — including some who weren’t associated with USF — and they brought various items with them, including wood shields, umbrellas and tents, reports said.

“If you’re out here peacefully protesting, why should you need shields and umbrellas?” USF Police Chief Christopher Daniel told WFLA.

Just before 5 p.m., law enforcement warned protesters they had 15 minutes to leave before tear gas and rubber bullets would be used to disperse them, according to reports.

Tear gas was used on them around 5:15 p.m. and the area was cleared by about 6 p.m.

“As the day progressed, police observed participants in person and through social media expressing their intent to use some of the items they brought on campus as weapons and to resist university staff members and law enforcement officers,” a USF spokesperson told Bay News 9. “As a result, USF police determined that the protest was no longer peaceful, and participants must leave the area.”

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, in a news release, said it was called in to assist with the “unsanctioned protest” at USF and helped USF police take several people into custody.

Among the 10 protesters arrested, one of them had a gun in their waistband, Fox 13 said.

"Violent or unsanctioned protests on University Campuses or anywhere in Hillsborough County Florida will not be tolerated,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “This is Florida, a law and order state. Every student, regardless of color, creed or religion, should be able to feel safe and learn in a secure environment. Every student should be able to freely move about campus without fear of harassment or intimidation. The moment a peaceful protestor arms his or herself with a shield or attempts to occupy a space that isn't theirs, as occurred today, they will be dispersed. And, if they choose not to follow instructions of law enforcement officers, they will be arrested as ten individuals were."

The protesters and their supporters condemn law enforcement’s actions Tuesday.

“We at Florida Palestine Network strongly condemn USF police department’s violent use of chemical munition and brutality to disperse student encampment protesters in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The use of force against peaceful protestors is a violation of human rights and undermines the principles of free speech and assembly,” the Florida Palestine Network wrote in an Instagram post. “Since the inception of the encampment, USF administration had initiated aggression and violence against students. They have escalated and compounded this aggression through reinforcement of local police forces to silence students and violently refuse divestment demands. We want to be clear that commitment to the Palestine liberation movement will only grow as the state continues its violent crackdown.”

“USF students were assaulted, brutalized, and terrorized by police for setting up a peaceful demonstration. Administrators looked on,” the USF Divest Coalition wrote in an Instagram post.

The Bay Area Dream Defenders is hosting an “emergency protest” Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., at the corner of 56th Street and Fowler Avenue.

“Students at USF were brutalized by police yesterday, where they were hit with rubber bullets and tear gas. Their crime? Standing against USF's investments in the genocide of Palestinians,” the group wrote in an Instagram post. “The tear gas used against the students is the same used against Palestinians. The people of Tampa cannot let these atrocities continue in Palestine, or in our own backyard!”