MILWAUKEE – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee administrators and pro-Palestine student protest organizers have reached an agreement to remove the encampment that formed nearly two weeks ago on the UWM campus.
In a statement posted on the university’s website Sunday, Chancellor Mark Mone says students have already started to dismantle the encampment and should be done by Tuesday morning at the latest.
“I’m grateful that the ongoing dialogue with our students has resulted in this peaceful resolution,” Mone said. “I want to extend my personal thanks to everyone who played a role in the process. The voluntary dismantling of the encampment is the safest conclusion for everyone.”Â
The agreement includes a call for a ceasefire in Gaza, a condemnation of genocide and a condemnation of the Hamas attack that killed Israelis last October. It also outlines a plan for university leaders to further discuss protesters’ concerns once the encampment comes down while acknowledging that UWM is legally prohibited from cutting ties with private companies and organizations that do business with Israel.
Mone acknowledged that the most common question he got during the encampment was whether he would send in law enforcement to break up the protests as was done on the campus of UW-Madison, but said the safety of all students, including protestors, was his biggest priority.
“Today, as this agreement goes into effect and the encampment begins to come down, we are thankful there were no significant safety issues and that counterprotests remained peaceful,” Mone said.
The encampment on the UW-Madison campus was ended by a similar agreement between protest organizers and administrators on Friday.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.
