D.C. police cracked down early Wednesday on the anti-Israel protest encampment at George Washington University about 12 hours before D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police leaders were set to testify before Congress about their handling of the demonstrations.
Police Chief Pamela Smith said 33 protesters were arrested in the operation that began around 3 a.m. when officers descended on the encampment at GWU’s University Yard. Police gave the pro-Palestinian protesters warnings about dispersing or being arrested on unlawful entry charges.
Authorities said a handful of people were booked on charges of assaulting officers as police teams tried to corral the campers and maintain order at a protest near the intersection of 20th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Police said at least three people were hit with pepper spray in response to punches thrown at officers.
“They began very peacefully, but over the past few days, we began to see an escalation in the volatility of the protests at GW,” Chief Smith said.
Chief Smith said that over the past week a protester pushed a campus police officer and took something from them and that Metropolitan Police learned that makeshift “offensive and defensive weapons” were being hoarded at the camp.
She added that the campsite was becoming a gathering point for non-GWU students and counterprotesters were sneaking into the encampment to stoke conflict.
Ms. Bowser said she expected a House Oversight Committee hearing dedicated to the District’s response to the camp will be canceled in light of the predawn clearing.
“I had the opportunity to speak with Chairman Comer this morning, and he expressed his interest in making sure the city and the chief could focus on this ongoing operation.” Ms. Bowser said, referring to Rep. James Comer, Kentucky Republican.
House Republicans took interest in the encampment when an earlier report suggested that Ms. Bowser and police leaders had opted for a hands-off approach to demonstrations in order to avoid the chaotic scenes playing out at other universities.
Los Angeles police dispatched officers in riot gear to bring down an encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, a site of open fights between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators.
In New York City, police arrested more than 280 people who barricaded themselves inside a building on Columbia University’s campus. One of the reported leaders of Columbia’s camp had said people should “be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.”
In Oregon, police pushed out dozens of protesters who took over a library at Portland State University. Authorities said they found makeshift weapons inside the building.
Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested nationwide for their roles in the encampments, according to NBC News.