Virginia Tech students join wave of campus protest encampments, Senator weighs in

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia Senator Mark Warner is weighing in as students at Virginia Tech become the first at a major university in the Commonwealth to set up an encampment to protest Israel’s military action in Gaza.

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 small gathering was not affiliated with the university or a registered university event.

The Friday morning gathering was similar to encampments seen across the nation on college and university campuses in recent weeks. Students have refused to break camp and have held marches in support of Palestine hoping their efforts will change Israel’s military action in Gaza.

8News spoke with Senator Mark Warner as tensions continue to rise across college campuses

“I think one of the essential characteristics of America, we got a First Amendment. You have a right to protest, but that right to protest doesn’t mean you can shut down a university or shut down classes or interfere in other ability to get an education,” said Warner. “So I think, if you break the law, you need to pay the penalty.”

Arrests of students and staff at encampments across the country have been ticking up. However, students are not the only ones making their voices and concerns known as protest demonstrations have been seen across Richmond in recent months.

In March, Richmond Police Department officers arrested several people after a group of protestors linked themselves together on Interstate 95 South, near the Arthur Ashe Boulevard exit.

“Everybody agrees you have the right to say what you feel about a particular subject, but when your right to speak starts to interfere with other people’s rights, that’s where you run [into] danger of being arrested,” said 8News legal analyst Russ Stone. “When you’re talking about somebody that crosses the line between just expressing their views and committing a crime is the crime of disorderly conduct.”

Richmond Police say they’ve found it necessary to assign officers to assist with the public safety of demonstrations. 8News learned Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards asked another officer to contact an organizer of protests across the city to decrease the frequency of their events.

This request was made while at the scene of a quadruple shooting on Jennie Scher Road on April 14th. A spokesperson from Richmond Police says the goal of the ask was to allow officers to adequately respond to the string of deadly gun violence after Easter.

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