Knoxville restaurant owner arrested with protesters on UT campus

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Several protesters were arrested on the University of Tennessee Knoxville campus near the law school Wednesday night, and among them was Yassin’s Falafel House owner Yassin Terou, according to court records.

Terou had previously been issued a criminal trespass warning from a prepared form, according to records, and “due to the totality of the circumstances and the likelihood that the offense would continue, Mr. Terou was taken into custody and is being charged with criminal trespassing.”

Campus authorities reportedly told the protesters that the space they were occupying was not reserved, as they had reserved a different space across the street at the Student Union Cumberland Plaza, which was reserved for them through Saturday. They were told to vacate the space, but Terou and others did not leave.

Officers arrived and took the protesters into custody . Terou was released from the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility in Knox County Thursday morning.

Wearing an American flag around his shoulders and a sling on his right arm, Terou spoke with WATE 6 On Your Side about the incident.

“I show up expecting to be at the peaceful village, and it was a scandal to walk around the college of law, and this is what was happening – we just (were) there, we were walking around with our candles, and (asking) to stop the genocide in Palestine.”

Terou also said he had spoken with administrators and police officials, and said he would have the students leave in 10 or 20 minutes. But then, the police started making arrests.

“I wasn’t planning on being arrested, but at that point, I wasn’t going to leave the students,” Terou said, adding that he wanted to go with them to make sure they were safe. Terou confirmed that he was charged with criminal trespass, and he planned to spend the following week with his children for graduation.

Known for his do-good and friendly actions in and around the Knoxville area and beyond, Terou has used his platform as a business owner and immigrant from Syria to help others in need since he arrived in the United States in 2011. He officially became a U.S. citizen in 2020 .

In 2018, Yassin’s was named ‘The Nicest Place in America’ by Reader’s Digest.

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