The University of Iowa Police Department arrested nine protesters on Saturday who chained themselves to the doors outside of a UI fundraising event at Kinnick Stadium.
The demonstration was live-streamed on Instagram by the Iowa City Students for Justice in Palestine group, which is not affiliated with the UI. The group then posted photos and videos documenting the arrests made by UIPD officers, some of which were reportedly aggressive and violent arrests.
There were approximately 20-25 total protesters present.
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The Iowa City Students for Justice in Palestine group later posted a statement on Monday explaining that the group did not organize the protest, but stands with other protesters’ efforts and condemns police brutality.
A protester also posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that they were detained but then released, and the demonstration was intended to decry the UI’s reported association with weapons contractors involved in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
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The Daily Iowan reached out to protesters involved in the demonstration via social media and email, but has not yet received comment or confirmed their preferred names.
The individuals arrested were each charged with trespassing causing damage greater than $200, interference with official acts, and disorderly conduct. All nine protesters were released from the Johnson County Jail that same evening.
This comes after six protesters were arrested in October, which had prompted a separate protest on Friday.
Hayley Bruce, the public information officer with UIPD, wrote in an email to the DI that the protesters blocked access to the facility by bolting the doors shut and chaining themselves to the building. Bruce wrote that this action impeded potential access to the building for emergency and fire services.
In response to the DI’s request regarding the claims of the police’s violent and aggressive arrests, she wrote the “ultimate objective of every law enforcement encounter is to support the safety of the community and avoid or minimize injury.”
She added that at the time of the DI’s request Monday afternoon, UI police had not received any formal complaints from those involved with the events on Saturday.
“Had the protestors simply chosen to march while allowing access to the facility, they would not have been removed,” she said on Monday in an email to the DI. “ … This posed a safety issue and caused damage to the building, and law enforcement intervened to maintain campus safety after the protestors declined multiple opportunities to move on their own.”
Sabine Martin contributed to this report.
