RICHMOND, Va. — Pro-Palestine protesters at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) were arrested Monday night in Richmond.
Our news partners at WWBT 12 On Your Side report that police in riot gear arrested and used tear gas and zip-ties to take protesters into custody at VCU's Monroe Park campus. Virginia State Police, VCU Police, and Richmond Police were all on hand to disperse the crowd.
It was not immediately clear how many people were taken into custody or what charges they may face.
According to WWBT, police said they were removing protesters from the area "because they're not allowed to hold an encampment on VCU grounds."
The protest at VCU is one of several at college campuses across the country and now the second in the Commonwealth. Protesters are demanding an end to Israel's war in Gaza.
In a statement, a spokesperson for VCU said the protest "violated several university policies" and that they gave protesters -- many of whom were not students -- several opportunities to leave.
Another protest at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg resulted in 82 arrests, including 53 students, a university spokesperson said Monday.
Cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas appeared to be gaining steam over the past few days. It isn’t clear whether those talks might inspire campus protesters to ease their efforts.
WWBT 12 On Your Side and The Associated Press contributed to this report.