Protesters Acquitted After Arrest at Tulane University
Fourteen individuals who were arrested earlier this year during protests at Tulane University over the Israel-Hamas war were found not guilty of misdemeanor charges on Friday in New Orleans. The protests, which took place in front of the university’s St. Charles Avenue campus buildings, led to charges of “remaining in places after being forbidden.”
The defendants, some of whom were students at Tulane or nearby Loyola University, were part of a two-day encampment protesting the university’s ties to companies connected with Israel’s military efforts. On May 1, New Orleans police broke up the encampment and arrested the 14 individuals.
Judge Rules Not Guilty
State District Judge Ben Willard delivered the not guilty verdict the same day their trial began. Defense attorneys argued that the defendants were on public sidewalks or medians, rather than on campus property, at the time of their arrests. This argument played a key role in their acquittal.
Support for the Defendants
During the trial, dozens of supporters gathered outside the courthouse and in hallways to show solidarity with the arrested individuals. The case drew attention to the broader wave of college campus protests across the country in response to the Israel-Hamas war.
Nationwide Campus Protests
The Tulane protests were part of a series of demonstrations held at universities across the U.S. following the October 7 Hamas incursion into Israel. Protesters have been calling on universities to divest from companies supporting Israel’s military operations in Gaza, with some even advocating for severing ties with Israel itself.
