MINNEAPOLIS – Eleven people were arrested Monday after University of Minnesota officials issued an emergency alert Monday afternoon saying protesters had stormed Morrill Hall in Minneapolis.
The building, located at Northup Mall on the East Bank campus, is home to the university’s administrative headquarters.
The warning said protesters were “causing property damage and restricting entry and exit to the building,” and had advised people inside to “leave safely” immediately if possible.
Monday’s protest was organized by the group UMN students for a democratic societycalling on the university to divest from companies that support Israel – which the Board of Regents declined to do so in August after weeks of pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.
The protesters were equipped with tents and supplies and said they planned to stay until their demands were met. A video posted online showed chairs stacked in front of an exterior door of the building, in an apparent barricade.
Photos on the group’s Facebook page showed what appeared to be arrests.
“We plan to stay until they remove us by force,” Merlin Van Alstein, an organizer of the group, said before the arrests. “The people inside will not leave until they meet our demands or until they are forced to leave.”
The group renamed the building “Halimy Hall,” in memory of 19-year-old Palestinian TikTok creator Medo Halimy, who was killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in August. The Israeli military said it was unaware of the attack that killed Halimy.
A university spokesperson released the following statement:
“Protesters gathered on the lawn in front of Coffman Memorial Union on Monday, October 21, 2024 around 3:00 p.m. Shortly before 4 p.m., a group of these individuals moved quickly north into the Northrop Mall and entered Morrill Hall.
Once inside the building, the protesters began spray-painting, including covering the lenses of all internal security cameras, breaking interior windows and barricading the building’s entrances and exits. The full extent of the damage is unknown. There were a number of staff members working in the building at the time and several people were unable to leave the building, and some were unable to leave the building for extended periods of time.
To ensure the safety of U of M employees in the building who were unable to exit, and in light of the property damage to the building, University of Minnesota Police were called to the scene to address the situation. With support from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, UMPD entered the building at approximately 5:40 p.m. and arrested 11 people. No additional information is available at this time about the people arrested or the extent of the property damage.
An investigation is underway.”
Emily Boskof, executive director of Minnesota Hillel, released the following statement about the demonstration:
“At Minnesota Hillel, our top priority is keeping Jewish students safe – first and always. We appreciate the administration and law enforcement holding students accountable for any violations of the Code of Conduct. We are in close contact with university administrators to ensure they are doing everything possible to support Jewish students and keep them safe. While these incidents attract attention online and in the media, we tend to focus on the pride and joy of being Jewish. Today we are also focused on celebrating Sukkot together. Hillel’s doors are always open to all Jewish students.”
WCCO personnel
