UGA student protests over Gaza shrink after arrests, suspension threats

ATHENS, Ga. — Protesters against Israel’s war in Gaza dwindled on the University of Georgia’s campus on Tuesday, one day after more than a dozen demonstrators were arrested.

It might have been partly the rain. Or that there were no classes, which ended Monday. Or that students were spooked by the threat of suspensions just days before some graduate.

The small turnout also raised questions about the depth of support for demonstrators who have called on the state’s flagship university to support Palestinians and divest from Israel.

After as many as 100 people joined protests on UGA property Monday afternoon, Tuesday’s group of demonstrators was closer to 15 and struggled to attract onlookers on a quiet campus as many students prepared for final exams and May 10 commencement ceremonies.

The smaller turnout followed Monday’s crackdown on protesters, 16 of whom were arrested by UGA police for trespassing before being released. Ten of the arrested were students, according to a person familiar with the matter, who said they were not authorized to speak on the matter publicly.

Senior Zeena Mohamed, one of those arrested and released, said she and half a dozen other protesters were suspended Monday by the university, banning them from being on campus at least temporarily and jeopardizing their enrollment.

UGA spokespeople declined to confirm or comment on any suspensions. But The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reviewed a three-page notification that Mohamed said she received electronically from UGA late Monday afternoon. The letter cited several violations, including “reckless disruption or obstruction of teaching, research, administration or other University activities.”

Another protester told demonstrators Monday that she also had been suspended by UGA.

Janet Frick, an associate professor in UGA’s Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program, criticized the university for arresting and suspending students.

“Obviously they knew they were violating some of the current “free speech” policies. But to claim they were endangering campus or disrupting instruction is patently ridiculous,” Frick wrote Tuesday on the social media platform X.

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