Protesters head to non-jury trial after summer encampment arrests

More than eight months after Pitt students and community members organized an encampment in support of Palestine, people who were arrested continue to make their way through the legal system.

Six Pitt students and alumni will appear in court this month on charges stemming from protests that escalated into confrontations with police. 

Police issued warrants for five more protesters on Jan. 14. The warrants are for felony and misdemeanor-level charges stemming from the June 2 encampment. All five protesters are scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 4. In total, police have arrested 24 protesters. 

Steel City Anti-Fascist League released a statement last week addressing the recent warrants.

“These charges are violations of the 1st Amendment in an effort to justify a police riot and subsequent brutality,” the statement read. “[This is] an attempt to break our community’s solidarity with one another and, most notably, with Palestine.”

Seven protesters are facing felony charges of rioting, aggravated assault and misdemeanor charges including obstruction of law and failure to disperse upon official order. All seven protesters facing felony charges are scheduled for a bench trial on Jan. 29 where a judge will determine the verdict. 

The arrests began with an encampment established on April 23, which the City permitted to remain until Monday morning, April 29. The demonstration remained peaceful until police arrested two individuals, including one student, for misdemeanor trespassing on University property.

Protesters reestablished the encampment on the Cathedral lawn on June 2, which lasted over 30 hours before disbanding on June 4. Police made no arrests during the disbandment, though one individual was arrested on the protest’s first day.

The protesters in the encampment called for the Pitt administration to divest from companies that “benefit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and the occupation of Palestine,” along with a series of additional demands, all of which are listed on the Pitt Divest From Apartheid Instagram page. 

Students for Justice in Palestine has advocated for all charges to be dropped against the protesters. 

“Students and community members peacefully protesting were met with calls for forced removal and severe violence from police towards students, witch hunts and felony charges,” SJP wrote in a statement.

The University did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this article.