BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Day three of the encampment protest in Dunn Meadow at Indiana University started with almost two dozen arrests. Officers then came back a second time later in the day, engaging with protesters again.
The activists are calling on the university to cut ties with any companies or lobbying groups that support the Israeli government.
"When the police first came, I could not believe this was happening. This is something you see on the news. I saw it happening at Columbia," said Malaika Khan, an organizer. "I never knew it would happen here in Bloomington, Indiana. It was terrifying. Everyone was shaking. Everyone didn't know what to do."
Around 12:20 p.m. Saturday, April 27, officers gave verbal warnings to remove the tents or face arrest. Roughly 15 minutes later, 23 individuals were arrested and transported to the Monroe County Jail for criminal trespassing and resisting law enforcement.
According to a release from IU, the protesters were arrested for not removing tent structures after being warned it violated university policy — a policy that was only changed days ago.
The original policy called for tents to be removed by 11 p.m.
The university changed the policy after learning protesters planned to camp out at Dunn Meadow indefinitely, according to a statement from the faculty.
"It's outrageous that IU last-minute changed it's policy and didn't make this public information" Khan said.
The protesters said they have no plans to back down.
"I think that's what outside forces fail to recognize — the police can come in and brutalize the students and faculty, but each time, we are going to come back stronger, " said Ana Bella Stegmaier, an IU student.
After the weekend of protesting, IU released a statement regarding the university's actions:
"Over the last several days, our campus community has faced considerable challenges and wrestled with complex questions," the statement reads. "Everyone has the right to peacefully rally or protest on our campus, and we will do our best to ensure that everyone can exercise these rights in a safe environment."
The statement also included that the decision to involve Indiana State Police and the IU Police Department wasn't made lightly.
"It is our hope that we can come together with our common desire to create solutions that will continue to strengthen the safety of our campus while protecting the rights of free speech," the closing of the statement reads.
For the full statement from IU, click here.
Kerry Thomson, the mayor of Bloomington, also released an apology statement regarding a statement she made Saturday:
“Bloomington, I’m coming to you today with an apology. I see now that my statement yesterday was less than clear, and that one statement in particular was harmful. When I ran for office I committed to listening hard, and to admitting when I am wrong. In my message about the protests yesterday, I made a statement about the presence of outside groups. We had reports of Proud Boys and other involvement, and I had concern about the possibility of escalation beyond what our students and faculty present on campus were gathered to achieve. This statement, I see now, pointed the finger in the way I had not intended. I am sorry."
13News spoke with members of the Jewish community on the Bloomington campus off-camera about how they're feeling about the protest. They said they're relying on one another for support, and some members have even attempted to have discussions with protesters, but don't feel like it's welcomed at the moment.
Organizers said they'll continue to gather until they see change, and IU says that it will continue to support peaceful protests as long as they follow university policy.