Denver's Auraria campus subject of antisemitism investigation over pro-Palestinian protests
Denver's Auraria campus and the pro-Palestinian encampment that popped up on campus last spring will now be investigated by the federal government.
The Colorado Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted unanimously to begin a year-long examination of the "presence and/or absence of antisemitism at Colorado universities and colleges, specifically at the Auraria Campus in Denver, which hosts the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and University of Colorado Denver."
The protest was one of many across the country against the war in Gaza. The encampment remained on Tivoli Quad for 23 days last year as students and others protested the war and called for the colleges to disclose all their investments with Israel and divest financially from them. They claimed that the campus administration was "standing with genocide." In response to the protests, the Jewish Coalition of Colorado called on the university to "take bold action" to protect Jewish students.
School officials said camping on the quad violates campus policy. Although some officials said they supported the student's right to protest, they insisted that the encampment be taken down for the health and safety of those on campus.
After refusing to disperse, approximately 40 people were arrested by the Auraria Campus Police Department. Officers handcuffed the protesters, who were led to a bus and eventually processed on charges of trespassing. Eight Coloradans arrested by campus police later sued, claiming they weren't given adequate warning that police would be making arrests and that their arrests were unjustified because they weren't camping there.
In response to the arrests, civil rights icon Angela Davis spoke with protesters about the parallels she saw between racism and the criminal justice system in the U.S. and Israel's treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
The leader of Hillel Colorado, Daniel Bennett, said that Jewish students had been afraid to come to school since October. But protester Daryn Copeland said they hadn't seen any antisemitism on campus, and he and his fellow Jewish protestors felt safe. Bennet explained that if the demonstrators were only asking for peace in Palestine, he would understand, but to boycott Israel and treat them differently than other countries is anti-Semitic.
Donors offered to give $15,000 to the International Red Cross in the name of the Students for Democratic Society if the protesters agreed to take down the encampment. But protest leader Paul Nelson, a former student, said they rejected the offer as a bribe.
A week later, while protest leaders met with Angie Paccione, who oversees the Colorado Department of Higher Education, protestors reportedly began demonstrating inside the Tivoli Student Union building, singing, "We will not rest, we will not stop until you divest." President Janine Davidson's office said protesters blocked entrances while law enforcement secured doors with zip ties to limit who was able to go inside.
Campus officials said the protesters threatened to disrupt upcoming commencement ceremonies if the schools refused to divest from Israel. The Community College of Denver decided to relocate its ceremony "to ensure our college community can celebrate without interruption."
On Mother's Day, students held a vigil for mothers in Palestine who lost their children and for Palestinian children who had lost their mothers. More than a dozen protesters marched to the CU Denver Student Commons building, causing officials to order a lockdown. Ten of those protesters were issued a summons for trespassing, interference and disturbing the peace.
MSU Denver restricted access to campus buildings as the demonstration continued. CU Denver also chose to temporarily shift to remote learning and canceled all on-campus events. As they began dispersing and cleaning up the encampment, campus officials said cleanup would cost about $670,000.
