Art Institute of Chicago pro-Palestinian demonstration leads to dozens of arrests – NBC Chicago

Authorities said dozens of people were arrested Saturday afternoon during a pro-Palestinian protest organized by students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

An estimated 50 people were arrested for trespassing after they failed to leave the Art Institute's downtown campus despite multiple verbal warnings, according to police and museum officials.

Encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies they say support the war in Gaza have spread across campuses nationwide, forming a student movement unlike anything this century. Demonstrations also took place at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.

According to police and museum officials, a group of students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago set up camp in the museum's north garden around 11 a.m.

“…As it continued, protesters surrounded and pushed a security guard, stole his museum keys, blocked emergency exits, and barricaded gates,” Chicago police said in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter was.

The demonstrations also extended to Michigan Avenue, where there was a large police presence.

In a statement, the arts institute said the student protesters were promised an amnesty from academic sanctions and trespassing charges if they agreed to be relocated. The school also agreed to meet with a group of students to discuss their demands. An agreement could not be reached after five hours, officials said.

Chicago police said at 3:30 p.m. that the Art Institute had asked officers to take action to remove those who were occupying the property illegally. Protesters received four warnings to disperse, with the last warning issued at 4:30 p.m

Several protesters were given another opportunity to leave the property without being arrested and then left the property. Dozens who refused to leave were arrested on charges of criminal damage, police said.