The University of Wisconsin Police Department issued 19 citations Thursday to individuals involved in the pro-Palestinian encampment on Library Mall at the end of the spring semester, according to The Cap Times.
The Cap Times’ reporting says that all of the people were cited for resisting or obstructing a police officer.
The citations come after an initial round of UWPD citations which were issued to protesters immediately after officers from the Madison Police Department and UWPD raided the encampment on May 1.
During the raid, dozens of police officers attempted to clear the encampment by removing the tents. Altercations broke out between the protesters and the officers, resulting in 34 arrests.
Two of the people arrested during the raid, Caleb Brown and Karl Schultz, faced preliminary hearings on May 23.
The defendants were both charged with felonies prior to the hearing. Brown was charged with the felony of attempting to disarm a peace officer and the misdemeanor of resisting or obstructing an officer. Schultz was charged with the felony of battery against a law enforcement officer.
Preliminary hearings are held before a full trial in order to determine whether there is probable cause to believe a felony has been committed by the defendant.
In the case of both defendants, the judge ruled there was probable cause to believe that they committed the felonies.
After the May 1 arrests, campus police conducted a full review of each case. This investigation led to the Thursday citations, according to The Cap Times.
The citations were given on the same day of a preliminary hearing held for another protester who was arrested during the raid after allegedly dragging a police officer to the ground and attempting to disarm him of his wooden baton.
On May 10, protesters and and officials from the university came to an agreement in which the university would request UWPD “use its discretion” pertaining to the May 1 arrest cases.
The citations come during a time where Students for Justice in Palestine UW-Madison chapter is already under investigation. Young Democratic Socialists of America UW-Madison chapter is currently facing an interim suspension and full investigation of their role in the Library Mall encampment.
As of now, SJP is only facing a CSO investigation, according to previous reporting from The Badger Herald.
