Israel-Hamas war protesters clash with officers at Emory in Atlanta

ATLANTA — A group of people protesting the Israel-Hamas war and Atlanta’s planned public safety training center set up camp at Emory University’s quadrangle Thursday morning, prompting clashes with law enforcement and the detainment of several activists.

The encampment mirrored a growing number of college protests across the country.

In Atlanta, protesters at Emory were not only protesting the war but also the construction of the police training facility at the site of the old Atlanta Prison Farm in DeKalb County.

“Several dozen protesters trespassed into Emory University’s campus early Thursday morning and set up tents on the Quad,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “These individuals are not members of our community. They are activists attempting to disrupt our university as our students finish classes and prepare for finals.”

Videos posted online late Thursday morning appeared to show police officers and state troopers clashing with protesters as some people were taken into custody. Atlanta police officers carrying rifles and zip ties could be seen walking through the makeshift encampment as some demonstrators were led away with their hands behind their backs.

An Atlanta police spokeswoman confirmed officers were sent to the campus at the university’s request. She would not say how many arrests had been made, referring all questions to Emory officials. Georgia State Patrol troopers were at the scene assisting Atlanta police, a GSP spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, some Emory employees reported that they were instructed to remain inside their offices. The university sent an alert to students and faculty to avoid the quad.

Activists started gathering around 7:30 a.m., according to organizers. They are demanding a “total divestment from Israeli apartheid” and the training center, they posted on social media.

One speaker referenced an Emory professor and doctor who was placed on leave after making “antisemitic comments.” The university later confirmed the Palestinian-American doctor was no longer employed by the university or its hospital system but did not confirm if she was fired or resigned.

Several Georgia colleges and universities, including Emory, have already held rallies and demonstrations since the war began Oct. 7 with Hamas’ attack on Israel that killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis and foreigners. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed during the conflict, according to health officials, at least two-thirds of them women and children.

There are believed to be about 130 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, of the roughly 240 initially taken by Hamas, according to CBS News. On Wednesday, Hamas released a video appearing to show one of its Israeli hostages delivering an address in captivity. In the video, a man identifies himself as Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin before delivering a statement. A U.S. official noted it was the first time Hamas has publicly released a video of a U.S. citizen hostage.

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(Staff writer Cassidy Alexander contributed to this article.)

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