29 Arrested At Pro-Palestine Rally At Stony Brook University: Report

STONY BROOK, NY — Twenty-nine people were arrested early Thursday morning after a pro-Palestine protest on Stony Brook University’s campus, News 12 reported.

It happened in a standoff late Wednesday into Thursday after a deadline set earlier by university officials passed and police started taking the protesters into custody around midnight, the outlet reported.

Officers from Suffolk and Stony Brook, as well as state troopers were deployed at the campus as students were warned that they would face arrest if they did not leave from the Staller Center's steps by 11 p.m., according to the outlet.

The students are reportedly demanding that the university stop investing in Israeli corporations that fund the state's military.

University officials told Patch Wednesday that the students could be asked to leave the Staller Center to make way for other groups with reservations.

In a statement to Patch late Wednesday, university officials said that on Feb. 26, the school's president Maurie McInnis, and members of her leadership team met with student leaders, heard their demands and "reviewed extensive materials they provided and responded thoughtfully and substantively to the issues they raised."

"We made our best efforts through dialogue and discussion to address the concerns shared by student leaders," the statement read. "We explained that Stony Brook has no direct investments in Israel, that SBU does not support the BDS movement, and that we will not limit the academic freedom of our faculty and students to be involved in the free exchange of ideas."

"We have demonstrated repeatedly that Stony Brook University is committed to supporting the right to free speech and peaceful assembly," the statement continued. "We also have the responsibility to maintain a safe, inclusive, and peaceful campus environment for all students, faculty, and staff.”

Patch has reached out to Stony Brook for further comment.