Wayne State Protesters Released From Jail Following Arrests: Reports

DETROIT — A dozen pro-Palestine protesters who were arrested Thursday when police cleared an encampment at Wayne State University were released later that day from a Detroit detention facility, according to multiple reports citing university officials.

Though the protesters were arrested in connection with trespassing and resisting an officer, it was unclear if any of them would face charges, according to reports.

Six of the protesters who were arrested are Wayne State students, according to reports.

The encampment on Wayne's State Hall lawn was in place for a week before police removed it Thursday. Wayne State said police gave numerous warnings before moving in to tear down tents and barricades.

President Kimberly Andrews Espy cited health and safety concerns and disruptions to campus operations.

Staff were encouraged to work remotely this week and in-person summer classes were suspended for three days due to the student protest. Spring semester classes returned to in-person Friday, according to the university.

Police broke up a similar encampment at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor earlier this month.

Protest camps sprang up across the U.S. and in Europe as students demanded their universities to divest from Israel and companies that support Israel’s military efforts in Gaza. Organizers deem the Israel-Hamas War as a genocide against the Palestinians.