ATLANTA – Police have arrested several protesters on the Emory University campus.
NewsChopper 2 flew away There was a heavy police presence there on Thursday morning. Channel 2's Tom Regan Several Atlanta police officers, Emory campus police officers and Georgia State Patrol troopers were seen responding to the protests.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety released a statement Thursday at 8:30 p.m. that the Emory Police Department and the Atlanta Police Department requested DPS' assistance with the protest at Emory University.
Emory University shared a statement from Cheryl Elliott, vice president for public safety, saying 28 people were arrested, including 20 from the Emory community.
Georgia state troopers and motor carrier officers responded to break up the protest, but were met by protesters who threw bottles and refused to leave.
It is not known if they are being charged. DPS said all charges are being served by the Emory Police Department.
Some of them have been released, they say, and the university is working with authorities to quickly release those community members in custody.
Famous Stories:
The protest is being held in response to the Israel-Hamas war. After more than 100 protesters were arrested at Columbia University, groups set up camps and protests broke out at several universities last week.
Students at those protests are calling on universities to disassociate themselves from any institutions that advance Israel's military efforts in Gaza — and sometimes from Israel itself.
One of the protesters who was arrested by troopers and officers resisted arrest, the Georgia State Patrol said.
Once they got one hand in handcuffs, he shoved the other under his body to keep his hand from being shackled. He was eventually searched twice, once in the abdomen and a second time in the right thigh, which allowed him to be arrested.
During the protest response, troops deployed pepper balls but did not use tear gas to control the unruly crowd.
Channel 2's Michael Doudna It was live from campus WSB tonight at 11 p.m The protesters left the premises after the police fired tear gas. And a new video showed police beating one of the protesters.
Gov. Brian Kemp praised law enforcement's response, saying college campuses “will never be a safe haven for those who promote terrorism and extremism that threaten the safety of students.”
However, Congressman Hank Johnson said he was disturbed by the involvement of the Georgia State Patrol and called the protests “reminiscent of the anti-war and civil rights protests on college campuses in the 1960s and '70s.”
Emory University released a statement Thursday,
I am writing to share more information about the events that occurred on our Atlanta campus earlier today and the actions taken by the Emory Police Department (EPD).
At 7:41 a.m., a few dozen protesters arrived on campus. When they arrived, these men ignored and pushed aside the EPD officers stationed at the quad and set up tents in an area where equipment and supplies were staged for the launch. Based on their actions and refusal to confirm affiliation with Emory, EPD assessed that these individuals were not Emory community members. Officers from the Atlanta Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol were called to provide additional assistance. During this time, several social media accounts announced protests and occupations of the Quad and publicly invited non-Emory community members to join them.
EPD issued several warnings at different intervals advising individuals in the camp that they were trespassing on private property and advising them to leave. When those demands were ignored, Atlanta police and Georgia State Patrol officers assisted EPD in breaking up the crowd and taking individuals into custody for criminal trespassing.
During this operation and subsequent clashes, objects were thrown at police officers. As far as we know at this time, one person assaulted a non-EBD officer and appears to have been taunted. The video of the incident is being widely shared on social media. Based on current information, this person is not a member of the Emory community. Law enforcement officers released chemical irritants on the ground to aid in crowd control due to direct fire from officers.
As of this news, we are informed that 28 individuals, including 20 Emory community members, have been arrested, some of whom have been released. We are working with responding agencies to quickly release detained Emory community members.
Our primary goal today is to remove quads from the disruptive camp while holding individuals accountable to the law.
— Cheryl Elliott, Emory University Vice President for Public Safety
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