The nineteen pro-Palestine protestors arrested at the Dec. 5 Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents protest will receive citations, according to a report from the UW-Madison Police Department. The citations will be given for violating a Wisconsin state law that prevents intentional creation of a volume of noise that unreasonably interferes with a university-sponsored or university-authorized activity.
One individual received an additional citation for violating another law preventing the depositing of human waste products in an area not intended for that purpose, as they intentionally spit on food inside the meeting room, according to the report.
Eight of the 19 people arrested and released were affiliated with the University of Wisconsin, two were UW-Madison alumni and, five were affiliated with UW-Milwaukee and five had no UW affiliation, according to the report.
Students for Justice in Palestine and the Young Democratic Socialists of America at UW-Madison received letters of investigation following the disruptive conduct in violation of campus policies the day of the protest, UW spokesperson John Lucas said in an email statement to The Badger Herald.
“UW-Madison supports the right to free expression, within the bounds of the law and campus policy,” Lucas said in the statement.
SJP is on disciplinary probation through the 2024-25 academic year, and a substantiated violation of probation requirements could lead to eventual termination of the group’s Registered Student Organization status, Lucas said. When on probation, an RSO is required to comply with the Organizational Rules of Conduct in order to access RSO privileges and benefits, such as reserving university facilities.
