Emory protest: University bans overnight camping after pro-Palestinian rallies
APD bodycam footage shows chaos at Emory protests
Atlanta police have released hours of bodycam footage from their police clashes with pro-Palestinian protesters on the campus of Emory University on April 25. One clip shows a protester ripping up police tape before officers move in and arrest her.
ATLANTA – Emory University has made changes to its longstanding open expression policy following pro-Palestinian protests that ended with dozens of arrests on campus last semester.
The new policy, announced by the university on August 27, prohibits students, staff and faculty members from camping and protesting on campus between midnight and 7 a.m.
The amendment also prohibits all encampments on the University of Atlanta campus and any occupation of buildings.
The policy adjustments come months after students and others set up a camp on the university’s campus to call for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Emory University officials said protesters who set up camp on April 25 entered private property and refused to leave, prompting the school to request assistance from Atlanta police and the Georgia State Patrol.
Police officers arrest a demonstrator during a pro-Palestinian protest against the war in Gaza at Emory University on April 25, 2024 in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage / AFP) (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
During the chaos, police arrested 28 people, including 20 members of the Emory community. FOX 5 Atlanta cameras were rolling when at least one of the arrested people was shot with a Taser by Georgia State Patrol officers.
MORE: Protests at Emory University: Atlanta police release bodycam footage of arrests
In the days following the arrest, Emory President Gregory L. Fenves announced that the university would conduct a review of the events surrounding the protests to “develop recommendations on how we can better ensure the safety of our community.”
“To be clear, I am devastated that members of our community were involved in the police actions that enforced the encampment’s clearance. The videos of these interactions are deeply disturbing. I take Thursday’s events very seriously and we will launch a thorough investigation so we can develop recommendations on how to improve the safety of our community,” Fenves wrote.
Since the protests, a majority of Emory students and the Faculty Senate of the Emory College of Arts and Science have voted for a no-confidence referendum against Fenves.
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Faculty members told The Guardian that Fenves’ announcement of the rule changes violated the school’s shared governance policy and urged him to wait to implement the rules until he heard the university senate’s opinion.
