DENVER — Police locked down the Auraria Campus after pro-Palestinian protesters entered a student commons building Monday.
Campus officials said more than a dozen people marched from the encampment on Tivoli Quad to the CU Denver Student Commons building just after 4 p.m. The group entered the building and accessed an occupied, restricted space in the Bursar's Office on the fifth floor, according to Auraria Campus officials.
The Auraria Campus Police Department placed the campus on lockdown "to allow for the safe evacuation of staff in the area and to assess the situation," campus leaders said in a statement Monday. Many participants left peacefully and continued the protest outside, according to officials. Ten protesters were issued a summons for trespassing, interference and disturbing the peace.
Auraria Emergency Alert: Campus still on lockdown due to a trespass issue in Student Commons. Please stay out of the area. More info to follow.
— Auraria Campus (@AurariaCampus) May 13, 2024
"We continue to balance the legal right to free speech with the need to keep our community safe and the campus focused on teaching and learning. This is the latest example of how Auraria Campus protester behavior has escalated in unacceptable ways," said Auraria Campus officials in a statement.
Outside the building, protesters waived Palestinian flags and chanted, "intifada revolution."
Pro-Palestinian protesters have been occupying an encampment on the Tivoli Quad at the Auraria Campus for several weeks now. They are demanding that the educational institutions that make up the campus divest from corporations operating in Israel.
On Saturday, protesters disrupted graduation ceremonies during the 2024 University of Colorado Denver Commencement Program at the Denver Coliseum. However, services resumed after they were removed from the venue.
