Over the weekend, a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Washington University in St. Louis turned chaotic as police clashed with protesters, resulting in the arrest of 100 participants, including 23 students and four faculty members, who now face criminal charges. A video shared on social media showed a Southern Illinois University professor, Steve Tamari, apparently being violently restrained and arrested by police during the demonstration. Tamari’s wife, Sandra Tamari, posted about the incident, accusing the police of brutally beating her husband and alleging that both he and she were arrested at the protest.
The St. Louis Police Department confirmed that they did not arrest any protesters at the demonstration and did not comment on the video showing Tamari being beaten. Washington University Chancellor Andrew D. Martin stated that the protesters at the encampment were in violation of the college’s policies and were asked to leave, but they did not comply, leading to their removal. Martin claimed that the protesters were behaving aggressively and using threatening and antisemitic chants, which led to the decision to make arrests. Some Jewish students reported feeling scared during the protest.
Sandra Tamari disputed Martin’s characterization of the demonstration, stating that protesters were not violent and that the atmosphere was peaceful before police officers intervened. She accused Washington University of using violence against its own students and community members to maintain complicity in what she called genocide. The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri criticized the university’s response to the protest, accusing them of silencing students and protesters by setting up confrontations between police and activists.
The protest at Washington University is part of a larger movement on college campuses around the country to demonstrate against Israel’s response to the attack by the Hamas militant group in Gaza, which has resulted in a high death toll and widespread displacement. Student activists are calling for a cease-fire, divestment from companies linked to Israel, and denouncing the attack on Gaza as genocide. The protests have caused tensions on campus, with some Jewish students feeling conflicted about the militarization of Israel and advocating for a balanced approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
