Protesters arrested, accused of violating UT campus rules

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Several people have been arrested following a protest on the University of Tennessee’s campus.

Just before 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a campus spokesperson told WATE that there had been a protest on campus.

“After multiple communications about time, place and manner restrictions and warnings about consequences for violating those restrictions, some members chose not to vacate the area and were trespassing, resulting in arrest,” the spokesperson said.

The university shared that 11 people were arrested, including three students and eight people not affiliated with the university. UT added that any student arrested would be referred to student conduct.

On campus, WATE’s crew spotted a group of individuals at the intersection of Cumberland and James Agee Street, some of whom were carrying Palestinian flags. A member of the group told WATE that they were there as part of a peaceful protest for the anniversary of Nakba, which translates to “the catastrophe.”

According to the United Nations , the term is used to refer to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. In 2022, the UN General Assembly requested May 15, 2023, to commemorate the anniversary of The Nakba.

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This is not the first time protesters have been arrested on the University of Tennessee’s campus. On May 2, nine people were arrested during a protest on the lawn of the university’s College of Law. The University described the group of protesters in that incident as “pro-Palestinian.”

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