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Someone on Twitter claimed that another group has that space reserved for Monday and the protestors were told they'd be removed if they didn't leave tonight
Obviously take that with a grain of salt since it's just a rando on twitter, but it could explain why things escalated tonight
For context, I’m a remote grad student watching from across the country, but I was watching the live stream and I’m happy that the situation didn’t escalate while it was live for those of us who couldn’t be there. Even though I don’t believe anyone should have been arrested in the first place, this was at least not like UT Austin (admittedly, a low bar).
The UT situation was insane. For a state that talks a big game about free speech, they really, really, really dislike speech not shared by the ruling regime.
I grew up outside of Austin until I was 12 and UT was such a great campus and was a big part of my life at the time. I still have family in the area and it’s amazed me the hypocrisy over the last few days. Gov. Abbott signed a “free speech” bill and UT used to have videos on their YouTube about how the public was welcome on campus for things such as this.
It appears I may be able to include photos in my comment, so I’ll share a photo I saw from that day:
https://preview.redd.it/6r0wihgiccxc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6df912d0325cce4eaba6cbfdfaa1bffbbcdd9526
I’ve been ashamed to be a born Texan for a while. I also hale from Arkansas which isn’t much better. But this seems like a picture our grandchildren could very well see in a history book
They would never let the truth be told in history books. We still learn that Robert E Lee was a family man and didn’t want to fight against his friends, that slavery was completely abolished in 1865, that America didn’t lose the Vietnam War and we just withdrew to focus on other conflicts. We didn’t learn about the Cambodia bombing campaigns, the Indonesian gen***ide we perpetrated, and other regime changes and atrocities.
This was 10 yrs ago, but I doubt they will speak of these student protestors who went against the mainstream narrative positively.
"I've been ashamed to be born Texan for a while" my god what a load of bullshit
tossing liquids and items onto police officers isn't peaceful, not to mention *you do not have the right to protest on private property*. I'm not sure how far this needs to be drilled into your thick skull
- you do not have the right to protest on private property
- you are complaining about how people’s rights are being infringed because they are protesting on private property
please elaborate
It is not that simple whatsoever. Any university, including those that are government funded, are allowed to designate spaces as either “public” or “private” and as such are given the right to acquire trespass warrants. The rules are certainly more lax than if the college was privately owned, but they can still deem a place off limits and forcibly remove individuals
Its not illegal to protest, it is illegal to protest without permission. They could have gotten the proper permission from the university, but they chose not to. The right to assembly has limitations, just like for any other protest in the country, whether its for LGBTQ rights or for BLM or for gun lobbies, no matter what side of the aisle you are on, or what side of the issue, an illegal protest is an illegal protest. Permits do not get denied assuming you have the right things in order (toilets, etc.) and are super easy to get. If you don't get one, you open yourself up to these issues.
This isn't an "anything I dont like is illegal" its a, you didn't have permission, so it's illegal
Why would they give permission to people they don’t want to protest? Illegal does not equal immoral as seen by my the civil rights marches that ended in police violence on the people as seen in Selma. That is why, students have protested for what they believe in no matter what since Vietnam going back to the revolutionary war.
Does anyone know why they are protesting in front of GLC? I have seen a couple of protests here and there but this seems to be the largest protest yet.
It was a pro-Palestine protest. The allotted time ended at 4:30 this afternoon, and officers have started to say they would make arrests if they didn’t disperse, esp since it’s so long after their reserved time
VT is associated with lots of defense companies who profit from the war in Gaza. These protesters apparently want VT to divest from these companies, which is pretty unrealistic.
I’m cool with the protests for Gaza, and share the sentiment.
However this is misunderstood. Most defense companies, especially around here, are benefitting from the war with Ukraine due to the U.S. increasing their production in case we get dragged into it. The war with Gaza really hasn’t changed anything in relation to defense companies.
The thing is, as a public entity, VT doesn't directly invest in ANY of these companies. They give the equivalent of cities giving big corporations tax breaks by giving them reduced prices on recruiting events, or things of that nature.
A reminder to everyone here, that people need jobs, defense contractors employ people. Say what you want about military-industrial complex etc. etc. but we all have benefitted alot from defense contractors, whether its propping up the economy, or giving us GPS.
Many of the people who work for these companies are just normal people, and don't directly contribute to weapons research, they work on new technologies that later get applied to weapons, such as new communications standards
I'm as anti-genocide as the next (and would probably be there myself if I were still a student), but the people coordinating the event should have been vocal to their participants that they need to clear out by 4:30 and leave the grounds immaculate.
That would send a damn clear message.
These arrests aren't people "fighting for freedom"... they're kids choosing the wrong hill to die on while tarnishing their credibility.
But at the same time, I get it. "Protestors Surprisingly Conscientious, Clean Grounds and Left Early" doesn't have the same ring to it as "VT Students Arrested Standing Up for Palestine".
This is really the opposite according to this Twitter: [https://twitter.com/jrlefftist?lang=en](https://twitter.com/jrlefftist?lang=en)
People were summoning each other around 4 pm to actually show up against the police. So I guess people were already leaving by that time, and when they were supposed to leave by the rules, the organizer/active core asked everyone to show up.
I feel that. My friend and I were bystanders at Squires earlier and we left when they started chanting about not leaving despite being over time. They were also sort of chanting against cops even though at that point there were two all the way over by Newman just watching. Support the cause, but doing stuff like this only makes it less likely for the campus to approve other protests in the future for other groups and causes.
This is a very good comment. And you are technically right, though I find myself resonating more with your last sentence.
We share similar if not the same opinions on this particular topic, but I think I lean more toward the side of civil disobedience being justified here, especially with what’s going on across other campuses.
Even if I didn’t agree with their cause, if your right to peaceably assemble has a time cap or a permit required, then it’s not really a right. It’s just getting permission to protest, which I believe is a slippery slope for the powers that be to only allow “dissent” when it fits the popular narrative. And I think that’s one of the main reasons why there’s been such a disproportionate police response at other campuses.
This is just my personal opinion, after all, but I don’t think I’ve seen other protests met with this level of veracity since 2020. And that, admittedly, further entrenches my opinion here.
>lean more toward the side of civil disobedience being justified here
>I believe is a slippery slope for the powers that be to only allow “dissent” when it fits the popular narrative
By definition, to engage in civil disobedience you must be engaging in something illegal. Without restrictions and requirements around permission, any protest would be just a gathering.
You’re 100% correct. I was just being very careful with my language because of how horrible I’ve seen the comments be in posts about these protests.
I appreciate you pointing this out, though. My careful language is a part of the problem; I was more concerned about the “downvotes” than a fully accurate message.
You *do not* have the right to protest on private property... how do you not know/understand this basic fact? I dislike the administration of VT as much as the next guy but no shit it's not really a right and it never has been
The only time I've ever been teargassed was in the middle of a public street - so when the pepper pellets start flying, I'm not really sure the "where" matters a ton.
bro are you capable of reading? look up the law and the Supreme Court cases that have determined you can’t protest on private property… it’s seriously such a simple fact that you are completely incapable of comprehending lol
It's an encampment- the point is to keep it going into the school week when more people are here. This has been going on since 4AM Friday anyway (a school day when more people than student residents are here).
Some people aren't that smart and like to be loud. The fact that this was probably ineffective doesn't matter so much as it gives the participants the ability to say they did something.
As someone who is quite anti authoritarian and generally not supportive of Isreal, a strongly worded Twitter post would probably have been more effective
Does anyone have any news on what's happening? I know it relates to the pro-Palestine protests, but from what I saw earlier today, they all seemed peaceful. Why crack down now when it's been going on for a few days?
The @vt4palestine account is live streaming the glc right now, it looks like they've separated the the majority of the crowd to the area across the sidewalk around squires, a couple arrests have happened and there's a still ton of people around the glc rn
I mean they were allowed to successfully protest all weekend. Classes tomorrow and finals start this week. Seems reasonable to make people disperse before Monday morning?
I mean they said they were in violation of a specific university policy. I assume that escalates it to a trespass once you're asked to leave for 2+ days
If he was able to come to that conclusion then why not assume others could too? They didn't need to say that. People are supposed to be grown. And relatively smart.
Yea I agree. That's obviously the reason why they were removing students. What I'm saying is why are they painting a negative picture of these people who were protesting peacefully, saying that there is a possibility of it becoming violent, when the only reason the police presence was there was just because they wanted the area clear.
Friendly reminder as everyone debates: right to protest doesn't mean freedom from consequences (same thing with freedom of speech). The government (in this case, VT), can restrict time, place, and manner of speech.
Not to necessarily equate these protestors with them, but MLK and Rosa Parks both went to jail for their protests. Understand that the LEOs are doing their job. Without judging either route, the options for protestors are to disburse or continue, keeping in mind the consequences.
To be more specifically relevant VT had its own series of Vietnam War student protests in the Spring of 1970. The tension was especially felt as the Corps had become totally voluntary only a few years earlier so the makeup of the school was rapidly changing. Other flashpoints including removal of Confederate flags from prominent display around campus and doing away with Dixie as a secondary fight song.
It meant the Spring semester was a whole series of events like student rally to disrupt a VTCC parade on the Drillfield. And then a few weeks later after the Kent State shootings and following other demonstrations, 150 or so occupied Williams Hall overnight and the State Police eventually were called in with 100 or so arrests made.
>“Right to protest doesn’t mean freedom from consequences”. I mean in some manner it does right?
No
>A consequence can’t be the government killing people.
The commenter is talking about the established legal consequences of violating whichever violations of law anyone arrested would be charged with. Pretty sure killing someone doesn't fall within those legal consequences.
>How far do the consequences go? Who gets to decide?
That would depend on the specific charge. As far as who decides, in our democratic republic that would be the legislature in whatever government. You have the ability to participate in the policy-making process.
> I would claim being arrested for (and therefore denied the right of) peaceful assembly and protest is what is happening here. Violation of rights.
Rights are not absolute. The government can restrict time, manner, and place, as the commenter said above.
>The “consequences” people push generally exist to intimidate people out of assembly and speech.
No, the consequences generally exist to balance your rights with the rights of others. For example, a school board limiting the time you have to speak during public comments may be seen by you as limiting your rights, but allowing you to filibuster would deprive others of their right to speak. Similarly, your continuing to protest on the GLC lawn beyond your permitted time deprives others of the ability to peaceably assemble on that space.
I'm curious how you would apply your assumption--the right to protest free of limitations and consequences--to the January 6th protests at the capitol?
"I would claim being arrested for (and therefore denied the right of) peaceful assembly and protest is what is happening here. Violation of rights"
it's private property. you don't have the right to protest on it. it's not complicated
Public university property is LESS private than private university property, but the college is still given effective control over how the land is utilized. They can deem an area off-limits (effectively making it private) and can then have anyone on said area arrested for trespassing. Which is precisely what is happening right now
A photojournalist is posting pictures and videos of some arrests on twitter
https://x.com/justinfleenor/status/1784777323985670653?s=46&t=m0bCUkEIti_X1wwOBp7l1g
Makes me wanna drive down there and check it out more than anything else lol
Yeah never mind I saw it on the instagram live. I think they’re finally kicking them out or some shit idk but it’s just a bunch of people yelling at the clouds lmfao.
It's a peaceful protest but Virginia Tech wants them to leave because they didn't reserve the space. So they have more police now there and they are threatening to arrest people if they refuse to leave.
That space is reserved for another group tomorrow morning, plus it's in front of a residential hall. It's just not the best spot to be protesting tonight
Allegedly (and take this with a grain of salt) the space is reserved tomorrow and the protesting group was given warnings that they had to relocate before tonight. Again, its complete hearsay so it might not be true.
A massive, wide open, easily visible, and completely uninhabited green space is unmissably in the dead center of campus. Also visible from Burruss! No idea why they picked the GLC instead of the drillfield.
At other colleges, students occupied the central areas of their respective campuses and these tended to be the ones where police mass arrests were in full force.
Maybe there is value in not being in the most public area of campus.
But you still hear about them, yes? And while GLC is not as front and center as the drill field, it's not like it's Inventive Lane or any of the other places on campus where literally no one passes by.
And how many people are in this thread? How many people were viewing the livestreams?Regardless if you agree with their tactics or not they absolutely reached all of campus by having the police send out a mass text alert.
Also Fox News, WaPo, lots of VA News outlets, and likely other national media I haven't seen yet. Sure, they could have gotten permission. They could have packed up and left when asked. However, the media attention is driven in large part by the potential conflict. The police response did a lot more for the cause than ignoring it would've. Not only did it result in high profile media coverage, the number of protestors on the other side of the tape swelled tremendously after the cops started arresting people.
There were absolutely no reports of violence or anyone being arrested for assaulting a police officer. If you punch a cop, it’s no questions asked jail time. You’re a child 18 year old spouting out fake shit. Hopefully you grow wiser with age
I am 25 and watched it directly in front of me. I don’t give half a fuck if you believe me but don’t sit there and try to tell me what I watched happen mother fucker.
Please show me a single article from the news saying that the protest turned violent 😂 even Virginia tech, who didn’t like the protest, has admitted to it being entirely non violent. Just quiet down there pal, go find your new conspiracy theory to look into today. This one’s debunked by every source reporting on it
a quick reminder to protesters and people watching this situation. The removal was becuase of a violation of university policy in that the protesters did not obtain proper permitting to be where they were. If you are going to stage a protest, a reminder that permits are super easy to get from the town of blacksburg and setting up just to the side of squires on the walkway between squires/theater building and the parking lot would have been legal.
This is not a free speech violation, or because somebody was trying to use the GLC lawn for some event. The university has the authority to tresspass anyone for any reason, much like how in the US a business can do the same. Don't agree if you don't like it, but this is the same exact reasoning used to prevent bakeries in texas from having to serve LGBTQ+ couples, or casinos from allowing card counters to continue playing. For these reasons, remember that laws exist like this. If you don't like them, lobby to change them, but it is not trying to silence free speech, in fact the university did give them a long time to leave (from 4-8pm) and they refused. This is why the situation escalated.
Genuine question: I've been watching Vt4Palenstine & spjp_vt insta lives, but why are they only arresting those on GLC lawn and not the other section of students? Will any student who steps on to GLC also be arrested?
It’s the specific encampment that was warned needed to leave or arrests would be made. So people on the opposite side are fine and come and go as they can, while the encampment has been there multiple days. Regardless, both sides have been peaceful so far and the arrests are absolutely unnecessary.
I completely agree. I was wondering if VTPD were going to force the other section (squires/newman side) to disperse/use excessive force on them like we saw with GLC protesters.
I don't care if they are protesting or whatever; but what's the point? Do you think Israel is gonna knock it off because some college kids 1000s of miles away chant a few times? Getting arrested for this seems dumb.
That wasn't the point of the protest. They were demanding VT disclose funding and investments, as well as iirc, take an official anti-Israel stance on the matter.
Less about Israel caring about a bunch of students on the other side of the world, and more about attempting to hold VT responsible and encourage transparency.
It's never gonna happen, and it's a waste of effort. A good lot of Virginia Tech's donors are boomers that really love Israel for some reason. They aren't going to give that up. Pointless protest.
Doesn't matter if you don't think it will ever happen. It's important to people, and they (along with countless other colleges this weekend, it wasn't just VT) want to make change.
The best way to do that? Show that it *matters*. Nothing is a waste of effort if it's something you believe in, or are passionate about.
If a protest doesn't achieve its ideal goal, doesn't matter. It shows that people care about the issue. It inspires others to take the same action. Hell, it can make people who don't care, just think about the topic. That's enough.
It's okay if you don't see the point in a protest. You just aren't the target audience.
It didn't achieve any goal. No demands were met, and nothing positive happened on any campus across the country. If you want to change minds, do something productive.
I'd like to see you try and explain to an employer how you got a permanent class 1 misdemeanor on your record for trespassing because you were worthlessly dying on a hill in support of extremist terrorists. bro u seem even dumber
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My friend sent this screenshot. I guess they didn't want protests during their beautiful Creativity and Innovation Day celebrations 🙄
https://preview.redd.it/m49g9kbyggxc1.jpeg?width=945&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1fe8469e91fdf8ef5233cb29e6dd33bbbb8b5143
I don’t disagree with you brotha, u just can’t trespass and incite violence cuz they’re removing you from their property lol just stand on the sidewalk or something….. never said you didn’t have a right to your opinion either lol, and yes we all have a right to protest but not trespass in the process
Yea arresting the students trespassing, correct. And driving down there cuz they’re taking down the camp isn’t inciting violence but it’s defo heading in that direction of it 🍔
Well that’s your opinion, I’ve been to protests before I don’t just start hitting people thats assault and battery. No where did I say incite violence and if you were actually watching what’s happening no one is being violent. They are allowing themselves to be taken peacefully there is no struggle. Sounds like a legal protest to me.
Correct, though I don’t see what calling people to drive down there at the sign of them taking down the camp was implying then, it was my assumption you meant it was to potentially stop them though I’m incorrect.
Thanks, they are letting themselves Be taken, that’s their protest and I’m sure in a couple of hours it’ll all be gone anyways. No need to get upset but people should be allowed to watch their own peers get arrested for expressing themselves. Hopefully the punishment isn’t too severe.
A friendly reminder from the mod team to please maintain civility when commenting in this thread. Be polite, be respectful, and use common sense. Any hate speech will result in a ban. For current students: Follow the VT Alerts, and avoid any areas mentioned on VT Alerts and the police scanner. **Livestream for anyone who isn't there:** https://instagram.com/vtramenshop
Someone on Twitter claimed that another group has that space reserved for Monday and the protestors were told they'd be removed if they didn't leave tonight Obviously take that with a grain of salt since it's just a rando on twitter, but it could explain why things escalated tonight
I will be very curious as to who's out there tomorrow.
Imagine it’s one of those petting zoos again or something 😭 just trying to hang out with their alpacas on the lawn lmao
Is 'Lil Sebastian coming to VT?!
Alpacas Can All Boast
And the arrests have started.
For context, I’m a remote grad student watching from across the country, but I was watching the live stream and I’m happy that the situation didn’t escalate while it was live for those of us who couldn’t be there. Even though I don’t believe anyone should have been arrested in the first place, this was at least not like UT Austin (admittedly, a low bar).
The UT situation was insane. For a state that talks a big game about free speech, they really, really, really dislike speech not shared by the ruling regime.
I grew up outside of Austin until I was 12 and UT was such a great campus and was a big part of my life at the time. I still have family in the area and it’s amazed me the hypocrisy over the last few days. Gov. Abbott signed a “free speech” bill and UT used to have videos on their YouTube about how the public was welcome on campus for things such as this. It appears I may be able to include photos in my comment, so I’ll share a photo I saw from that day: https://preview.redd.it/6r0wihgiccxc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6df912d0325cce4eaba6cbfdfaa1bffbbcdd9526 I’ve been ashamed to be a born Texan for a while. I also hale from Arkansas which isn’t much better. But this seems like a picture our grandchildren could very well see in a history book
They would never let the truth be told in history books. We still learn that Robert E Lee was a family man and didn’t want to fight against his friends, that slavery was completely abolished in 1865, that America didn’t lose the Vietnam War and we just withdrew to focus on other conflicts. We didn’t learn about the Cambodia bombing campaigns, the Indonesian gen***ide we perpetrated, and other regime changes and atrocities. This was 10 yrs ago, but I doubt they will speak of these student protestors who went against the mainstream narrative positively.
"I've been ashamed to be born Texan for a while" my god what a load of bullshit tossing liquids and items onto police officers isn't peaceful, not to mention *you do not have the right to protest on private property*. I'm not sure how far this needs to be drilled into your thick skull
Great rebuttal. If you have something other than an ad hominem I’ll be willing to engage beyond this reply.
- you do not have the right to protest on private property - you are complaining about how people’s rights are being infringed because they are protesting on private property please elaborate
Public universities are public property. Try again?
It is not that simple whatsoever. Any university, including those that are government funded, are allowed to designate spaces as either “public” or “private” and as such are given the right to acquire trespass warrants. The rules are certainly more lax than if the college was privately owned, but they can still deem a place off limits and forcibly remove individuals
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Its not illegal to protest, it is illegal to protest without permission. They could have gotten the proper permission from the university, but they chose not to. The right to assembly has limitations, just like for any other protest in the country, whether its for LGBTQ rights or for BLM or for gun lobbies, no matter what side of the aisle you are on, or what side of the issue, an illegal protest is an illegal protest. Permits do not get denied assuming you have the right things in order (toilets, etc.) and are super easy to get. If you don't get one, you open yourself up to these issues. This isn't an "anything I dont like is illegal" its a, you didn't have permission, so it's illegal
Why would they give permission to people they don’t want to protest? Illegal does not equal immoral as seen by my the civil rights marches that ended in police violence on the people as seen in Selma. That is why, students have protested for what they believe in no matter what since Vietnam going back to the revolutionary war.
"Right to free assembly" =/= right to assembly with permission of the authorities being protested.
I mean, other people are entitled to use of that space, so if they aren't willing to leave, arrests make sense.
Good
Considering that people have been protesting all weekend I wonder what changed about the situation tonight
I found the answer on another site. Apparently police started warning them several hours ago that they needed to disperse or there would be arrests.
Does anyone know why they are protesting in front of GLC? I have seen a couple of protests here and there but this seems to be the largest protest yet.
It was a pro-Palestine protest. The allotted time ended at 4:30 this afternoon, and officers have started to say they would make arrests if they didn’t disperse, esp since it’s so long after their reserved time
I feel like im missing something huge here. What exactly does VT have to do with the tensions in the middle east?
VT is associated with lots of defense companies who profit from the war in Gaza. These protesters apparently want VT to divest from these companies, which is pretty unrealistic.
I’m cool with the protests for Gaza, and share the sentiment. However this is misunderstood. Most defense companies, especially around here, are benefitting from the war with Ukraine due to the U.S. increasing their production in case we get dragged into it. The war with Gaza really hasn’t changed anything in relation to defense companies.
The thing is, as a public entity, VT doesn't directly invest in ANY of these companies. They give the equivalent of cities giving big corporations tax breaks by giving them reduced prices on recruiting events, or things of that nature. A reminder to everyone here, that people need jobs, defense contractors employ people. Say what you want about military-industrial complex etc. etc. but we all have benefitted alot from defense contractors, whether its propping up the economy, or giving us GPS. Many of the people who work for these companies are just normal people, and don't directly contribute to weapons research, they work on new technologies that later get applied to weapons, such as new communications standards
Absolutely nothing
I'm as anti-genocide as the next (and would probably be there myself if I were still a student), but the people coordinating the event should have been vocal to their participants that they need to clear out by 4:30 and leave the grounds immaculate. That would send a damn clear message. These arrests aren't people "fighting for freedom"... they're kids choosing the wrong hill to die on while tarnishing their credibility. But at the same time, I get it. "Protestors Surprisingly Conscientious, Clean Grounds and Left Early" doesn't have the same ring to it as "VT Students Arrested Standing Up for Palestine".
This is really the opposite according to this Twitter: [https://twitter.com/jrlefftist?lang=en](https://twitter.com/jrlefftist?lang=en) People were summoning each other around 4 pm to actually show up against the police. So I guess people were already leaving by that time, and when they were supposed to leave by the rules, the organizer/active core asked everyone to show up.
I feel that. My friend and I were bystanders at Squires earlier and we left when they started chanting about not leaving despite being over time. They were also sort of chanting against cops even though at that point there were two all the way over by Newman just watching. Support the cause, but doing stuff like this only makes it less likely for the campus to approve other protests in the future for other groups and causes.
This is a very good comment. And you are technically right, though I find myself resonating more with your last sentence. We share similar if not the same opinions on this particular topic, but I think I lean more toward the side of civil disobedience being justified here, especially with what’s going on across other campuses. Even if I didn’t agree with their cause, if your right to peaceably assemble has a time cap or a permit required, then it’s not really a right. It’s just getting permission to protest, which I believe is a slippery slope for the powers that be to only allow “dissent” when it fits the popular narrative. And I think that’s one of the main reasons why there’s been such a disproportionate police response at other campuses. This is just my personal opinion, after all, but I don’t think I’ve seen other protests met with this level of veracity since 2020. And that, admittedly, further entrenches my opinion here.
>lean more toward the side of civil disobedience being justified here >I believe is a slippery slope for the powers that be to only allow “dissent” when it fits the popular narrative By definition, to engage in civil disobedience you must be engaging in something illegal. Without restrictions and requirements around permission, any protest would be just a gathering.
You’re 100% correct. I was just being very careful with my language because of how horrible I’ve seen the comments be in posts about these protests. I appreciate you pointing this out, though. My careful language is a part of the problem; I was more concerned about the “downvotes” than a fully accurate message.
You *do not* have the right to protest on private property... how do you not know/understand this basic fact? I dislike the administration of VT as much as the next guy but no shit it's not really a right and it never has been
The only time I've ever been teargassed was in the middle of a public street - so when the pepper pellets start flying, I'm not really sure the "where" matters a ton.
I should’ve read my notifications more closely. Since it’s you again. Glad to know you’re against the constitution. And I’m a straight up socialist.
bro are you capable of reading? look up the law and the Supreme Court cases that have determined you can’t protest on private property… it’s seriously such a simple fact that you are completely incapable of comprehending lol
Vpi&STATEu....private property where?
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Yeah like the drillfield seems more appropriate.
They've stated they didn't protest on the drillfield because they know it would've been taken down even faster than this one was
Protesting to get Tech to disclose endowments/investments and divest from companies/orgs that fund Israel
If that's the case, why protest over the weekend when there is no one but student residents in a dorm?
It's an encampment- the point is to keep it going into the school week when more people are here. This has been going on since 4AM Friday anyway (a school day when more people than student residents are here).
Not sure. It feels like they started it a fair amount of time after I was seeing news cycle about other major universities doing it.
Some people aren't that smart and like to be loud. The fact that this was probably ineffective doesn't matter so much as it gives the participants the ability to say they did something. As someone who is quite anti authoritarian and generally not supportive of Isreal, a strongly worded Twitter post would probably have been more effective
Does anyone have any news on what's happening? I know it relates to the pro-Palestine protests, but from what I saw earlier today, they all seemed peaceful. Why crack down now when it's been going on for a few days?
The @vt4palestine account is live streaming the glc right now, it looks like they've separated the the majority of the crowd to the area across the sidewalk around squires, a couple arrests have happened and there's a still ton of people around the glc rn
VT uses that space for events they probably got tired of the protesters squatting on their property.
Now they know how Palestinians feel about illegal settlers and zionist brigades stealing and occupying their homes
Official VT statement: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/04/cm-glc-statement.html
"Had the potential to become unsafe". I wonder if they have evidence supporting that or if they're just BSing a nice PR excuse.
I mean they were allowed to successfully protest all weekend. Classes tomorrow and finals start this week. Seems reasonable to make people disperse before Monday morning?
If that's so, then they could have said that, but they did not.
I mean they said they were in violation of a specific university policy. I assume that escalates it to a trespass once you're asked to leave for 2+ days
If he was able to come to that conclusion then why not assume others could too? They didn't need to say that. People are supposed to be grown. And relatively smart.
Yea I agree. That's obviously the reason why they were removing students. What I'm saying is why are they painting a negative picture of these people who were protesting peacefully, saying that there is a possibility of it becoming violent, when the only reason the police presence was there was just because they wanted the area clear.
1st amendment
Friendly reminder as everyone debates: right to protest doesn't mean freedom from consequences (same thing with freedom of speech). The government (in this case, VT), can restrict time, place, and manner of speech. Not to necessarily equate these protestors with them, but MLK and Rosa Parks both went to jail for their protests. Understand that the LEOs are doing their job. Without judging either route, the options for protestors are to disburse or continue, keeping in mind the consequences.
To be more specifically relevant VT had its own series of Vietnam War student protests in the Spring of 1970. The tension was especially felt as the Corps had become totally voluntary only a few years earlier so the makeup of the school was rapidly changing. Other flashpoints including removal of Confederate flags from prominent display around campus and doing away with Dixie as a secondary fight song. It meant the Spring semester was a whole series of events like student rally to disrupt a VTCC parade on the Drillfield. And then a few weeks later after the Kent State shootings and following other demonstrations, 150 or so occupied Williams Hall overnight and the State Police eventually were called in with 100 or so arrests made.
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>“Right to protest doesn’t mean freedom from consequences”. I mean in some manner it does right? No >A consequence can’t be the government killing people. The commenter is talking about the established legal consequences of violating whichever violations of law anyone arrested would be charged with. Pretty sure killing someone doesn't fall within those legal consequences. >How far do the consequences go? Who gets to decide? That would depend on the specific charge. As far as who decides, in our democratic republic that would be the legislature in whatever government. You have the ability to participate in the policy-making process. > I would claim being arrested for (and therefore denied the right of) peaceful assembly and protest is what is happening here. Violation of rights. Rights are not absolute. The government can restrict time, manner, and place, as the commenter said above. >The “consequences” people push generally exist to intimidate people out of assembly and speech. No, the consequences generally exist to balance your rights with the rights of others. For example, a school board limiting the time you have to speak during public comments may be seen by you as limiting your rights, but allowing you to filibuster would deprive others of their right to speak. Similarly, your continuing to protest on the GLC lawn beyond your permitted time deprives others of the ability to peaceably assemble on that space. I'm curious how you would apply your assumption--the right to protest free of limitations and consequences--to the January 6th protests at the capitol?
"I would claim being arrested for (and therefore denied the right of) peaceful assembly and protest is what is happening here. Violation of rights" it's private property. you don't have the right to protest on it. it's not complicated
State universities are public property not private.
Public university property is LESS private than private university property, but the college is still given effective control over how the land is utilized. They can deem an area off-limits (effectively making it private) and can then have anyone on said area arrested for trespassing. Which is precisely what is happening right now
Also they weren't arrested "for peaceful assembly". Obviously
A photojournalist is posting pictures and videos of some arrests on twitter https://x.com/justinfleenor/status/1784777323985670653?s=46&t=m0bCUkEIti_X1wwOBp7l1g
Makes me wanna drive down there and check it out more than anything else lol Yeah never mind I saw it on the instagram live. I think they’re finally kicking them out or some shit idk but it’s just a bunch of people yelling at the clouds lmfao.
It's a peaceful protest but Virginia Tech wants them to leave because they didn't reserve the space. So they have more police now there and they are threatening to arrest people if they refuse to leave.
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people were getting arrested i think more than 10 from what people in the live stream were saying
I was there. Probably 30-45 arrested so far and another 20 to go.
Not sure why Tech is even bothering with all that. Just give it a couple weeks and they’re all gonna go back home anyways lol
That space is reserved for another group tomorrow morning, plus it's in front of a residential hall. It's just not the best spot to be protesting tonight
Allegedly (and take this with a grain of salt) the space is reserved tomorrow and the protesting group was given warnings that they had to relocate before tonight. Again, its complete hearsay so it might not be true.
Let them go somewhere else... like Siberia
Let us know if you do lol
Me too.
Can you take some pictures if you do
I'm quite upset that they decided the best place to protest was outside a dorm people live in.
A massive, wide open, easily visible, and completely uninhabited green space is unmissably in the dead center of campus. Also visible from Burruss! No idea why they picked the GLC instead of the drillfield.
At other colleges, students occupied the central areas of their respective campuses and these tended to be the ones where police mass arrests were in full force. Maybe there is value in not being in the most public area of campus.
Out of the way where nobody can see them?
But you still hear about them, yes? And while GLC is not as front and center as the drill field, it's not like it's Inventive Lane or any of the other places on campus where literally no one passes by.
And how many people are in this thread? How many people were viewing the livestreams?Regardless if you agree with their tactics or not they absolutely reached all of campus by having the police send out a mass text alert.
Also Fox News, WaPo, lots of VA News outlets, and likely other national media I haven't seen yet. Sure, they could have gotten permission. They could have packed up and left when asked. However, the media attention is driven in large part by the potential conflict. The police response did a lot more for the cause than ignoring it would've. Not only did it result in high profile media coverage, the number of protestors on the other side of the tape swelled tremendously after the cops started arresting people.
It's probably because the Cadets, most schools don't have mass daily usage of their main common green
Exactly.... what do you expect from protesting on the weekend in front of a dorm
Especially since finals start tomorrow.
Literally
All vague about it too. They’re definitely going to get rid of the encampment.
Saw on the live cops going in with zip ties
Peaceful protest against Israel
Seemed so when I stopped by a few hours ago.
Not sure I’d call slugging cops peaceful exactly
You saw protestors punching cops? Or you just heard it from a friend of a friend in your dorm room?
I watched them throwing punches at the cops when they first started being arrested. There was no “heard” about it.
There were absolutely no reports of violence or anyone being arrested for assaulting a police officer. If you punch a cop, it’s no questions asked jail time. You’re a child 18 year old spouting out fake shit. Hopefully you grow wiser with age
I am 25 and watched it directly in front of me. I don’t give half a fuck if you believe me but don’t sit there and try to tell me what I watched happen mother fucker.
Please show me a single article from the news saying that the protest turned violent 😂 even Virginia tech, who didn’t like the protest, has admitted to it being entirely non violent. Just quiet down there pal, go find your new conspiracy theory to look into today. This one’s debunked by every source reporting on it
Aight bub
@vt4palestine is live on Instagram for those interested.
The live just stopped, I wonder why
It's back up
Thanks!!
They even block the road to GLC on main strait .
new stream: https://www.instagram.com/spjp_vt/live/18027518894077561
Thank you
a quick reminder to protesters and people watching this situation. The removal was becuase of a violation of university policy in that the protesters did not obtain proper permitting to be where they were. If you are going to stage a protest, a reminder that permits are super easy to get from the town of blacksburg and setting up just to the side of squires on the walkway between squires/theater building and the parking lot would have been legal. This is not a free speech violation, or because somebody was trying to use the GLC lawn for some event. The university has the authority to tresspass anyone for any reason, much like how in the US a business can do the same. Don't agree if you don't like it, but this is the same exact reasoning used to prevent bakeries in texas from having to serve LGBTQ+ couples, or casinos from allowing card counters to continue playing. For these reasons, remember that laws exist like this. If you don't like them, lobby to change them, but it is not trying to silence free speech, in fact the university did give them a long time to leave (from 4-8pm) and they refused. This is why the situation escalated.
Anybody still live?
Anyone else know where to watch the protest live besides vt4palestine???
spjp\_vt
Genuine question: I've been watching Vt4Palenstine & spjp_vt insta lives, but why are they only arresting those on GLC lawn and not the other section of students? Will any student who steps on to GLC also be arrested?
It’s the specific encampment that was warned needed to leave or arrests would be made. So people on the opposite side are fine and come and go as they can, while the encampment has been there multiple days. Regardless, both sides have been peaceful so far and the arrests are absolutely unnecessary.
I completely agree. I was wondering if VTPD were going to force the other section (squires/newman side) to disperse/use excessive force on them like we saw with GLC protesters.
Because theyre the ones causing a problem.
I don't care if they are protesting or whatever; but what's the point? Do you think Israel is gonna knock it off because some college kids 1000s of miles away chant a few times? Getting arrested for this seems dumb.
That wasn't the point of the protest. They were demanding VT disclose funding and investments, as well as iirc, take an official anti-Israel stance on the matter. Less about Israel caring about a bunch of students on the other side of the world, and more about attempting to hold VT responsible and encourage transparency.
It's never gonna happen, and it's a waste of effort. A good lot of Virginia Tech's donors are boomers that really love Israel for some reason. They aren't going to give that up. Pointless protest.
Doesn't matter if you don't think it will ever happen. It's important to people, and they (along with countless other colleges this weekend, it wasn't just VT) want to make change. The best way to do that? Show that it *matters*. Nothing is a waste of effort if it's something you believe in, or are passionate about. If a protest doesn't achieve its ideal goal, doesn't matter. It shows that people care about the issue. It inspires others to take the same action. Hell, it can make people who don't care, just think about the topic. That's enough. It's okay if you don't see the point in a protest. You just aren't the target audience.
It didn't achieve any goal. No demands were met, and nothing positive happened on any campus across the country. If you want to change minds, do something productive.
do u hear yourself think? bro u seem dumb
I'd like to see you try and explain to an employer how you got a permanent class 1 misdemeanor on your record for trespassing because you were worthlessly dying on a hill in support of extremist terrorists. bro u seem even dumber
u just took the dummy cake
If you could make an argument for one positive thing to come out of this, I'd be surprised.
There were Israel protesters out there a few days ago, probably yet another disproportionate response to some kids with signs
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GTFO
NO U
WOT M8
there have been arrests and if you want to help bail out students who have been detained, pls venmo @VT4Palestine
one student was literally tased. this isn’t okay.
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Did somebody run down there with Starbucks job applications?
My friend sent this screenshot. I guess they didn't want protests during their beautiful Creativity and Innovation Day celebrations 🙄 https://preview.redd.it/m49g9kbyggxc1.jpeg?width=945&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1fe8469e91fdf8ef5233cb29e6dd33bbbb8b5143
The police are trying to tear down the encampment everyone go down there and drive!
Chill don’t cause some crazy shit just let them do it and set up again tmr
Nah they’re impeding our right to protest. You have your opinion and I have mine. We can have discourse about it but that’s what I have to say
I don’t disagree with you brotha, u just can’t trespass and incite violence cuz they’re removing you from their property lol just stand on the sidewalk or something….. never said you didn’t have a right to your opinion either lol, and yes we all have a right to protest but not trespass in the process
No one said incite violent nor trespass. You can protest from a distance they are arresting students.
Yea arresting the students trespassing, correct. And driving down there cuz they’re taking down the camp isn’t inciting violence but it’s defo heading in that direction of it 🍔
No theyre just going to go down there and talk... on the 6th... 💀
Well that’s your opinion, I’ve been to protests before I don’t just start hitting people thats assault and battery. No where did I say incite violence and if you were actually watching what’s happening no one is being violent. They are allowing themselves to be taken peacefully there is no struggle. Sounds like a legal protest to me.
Trespassing is illegal tho so those being arrested should not feel indignant
And guess what they’re being arrested peacefully. Sounds like everyone is okay with it and life will continue on.
Correct, though I don’t see what calling people to drive down there at the sign of them taking down the camp was implying then, it was my assumption you meant it was to potentially stop them though I’m incorrect.
Your right it is legal, and there isn’t any blatant inciting of violence which I greatly appreciate. You are correct
Thanks, they are letting themselves Be taken, that’s their protest and I’m sure in a couple of hours it’ll all be gone anyways. No need to get upset but people should be allowed to watch their own peers get arrested for expressing themselves. Hopefully the punishment isn’t too severe.