Police used pepper spray to disperse a pro-Palestinian tent camp at George Washington University and detained many protestors on Wednesday, just as city officials were about to testify before Congress on how they managed the two-week-old demonstration.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability called off the hearing following the crackdown, with its chairman and other Republicans supporting the police’s actions.
House Speaker Mike Johnson remarked, “It should not take a threat to bring D.C.’s mayor before Congress to ensure the safety of Jewish students at George Washington University.”
Demonstrators clash with cops (Via Henry Anderson/Shutterstock)
Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, explained that she and Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith decided to clear the camp due to signs that “the protest was becoming more unpredictable and less stable.”
Police mentioned that protestors had “collected makeshift weapons” and were “surveying” university buildings, possibly with the intent to occupy them.
However, Moataz Salim, a Palestinian student at George Washington with relatives in Gaza, claimed the authorities simply “ruined a wonderful community space built on love.”
