Hundreds of U of A faculty denounce Robbins' response to encampment

Hundreds of faculty and graduate students are signing and sending letters to University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins denouncing his response Tuesday night to the pro-Palestinian encampment.

Separate petitions have been written by the general faculty, the School of Government and Public Policy and the Center for Latin American Studies.

“We the undersigned are writing in horror, dismay and anger in reaction to your decision to call the police on our own students who were peacefully protesting,” the letter circulating among the general faculty, addressed to Robbins, reads. “Under the cloak of enforcing a legal curfew, you violated not only the primary directive of caring for students in your charge but also turned a peaceful protest into a violent confrontation.”

Mitch Zak, a spokesperson for the UA, wrote in a statement to the Arizona Daily Star that “the university supports free and open expression of ideas consistent with established campus policies.”

Zak added, “We appreciate that there are strong views, understand that some faculty disagree with our response, and respect their right to voice concerns.”

The general faculty letter, signed by more than 400 professors and graduate students, directly blames Robbins for law enforcement actions in breaking up the one-day encampment near the UA's main gate.

“YOU called the police,” the letter reads. “YOU acted against our students’ rights to freedom of speech and assembly. YOU should have prioritized student safety.”

In its own statement, the university’s School of Government and Public Policy wrote that “regardless of their political, ideological, racial or religious points of view, no students who participate in a peaceful, non-obstructive exercise of their freedom of speech and assembly should fear for their physical safety, let alone face any administrative or academic sanctions.”

The school’s letter continues, “We are appalled by the disproportionate use of force against peaceful demonstrators including the use of rubber bullets, chemical irritants and arrests. The harsh treatment against students on campus promotes a culture of fear and is deeply antithetical to the mission of an educational institution, particularly of a land grant, minority-serving, public university like the University of Arizona.”

At 1:55 a.m. Wednesday, after a standoff of several hours between officers and what appeared to be about 30 protesters barricaded in the encampment, Robbins released a statement. It came after UA had issued numerous warnings the protesters faced arrests for violating a 10:30 p.m. curfew for non-academic activity.  

He said he was directing law enforcement officers to “immediately enforce campus use policies and all corresponding laws without further warning.” Officers in tactical gear released tear gas and pepper balls and fired rubber bullets toward the protesters. The agencies on scene included UA Police, the Tucson Police Department, the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

“The harm is done,” says the letter to Robbins circulating among the general faculty. “At a minimum, we ask that you and the administration do not pursue any further action against the student protesters, either through the police (drop any existing criminal charges and do not pursue new ones) or through the university (no suspension, no expulsion).”

Organizers of the encampment, Students Against Apartheid, who are protesting Israel's actions in its war with Hamas in Gaza, said “many" of the demonstrators were struck by rubber bullets, among them first-year UA student Harlow Parkin, who said he was hit in the head with a rubber bullet.

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Robbins defended his response and that of law enforcement officials in a public statement Wednesday. He said “a minimal use” of pepper balls and rubber bullets by officers was warranted, due to "the dangerous actions of the protesters," in order for police "to disperse the crowd and to protect themselves and others while clearing the area." 

During the standoff, “law enforcement members were assaulted with projectiles,” and the massing of protesters and counter-protesters on Park Avenue nearby created a volatile environment, Robbins said. 

“Thankfully, as of this message, we are not aware of any significant injuries to students, faculty, staff, protestors, or members of law enforcement,” Robbins said.

Four demonstrators were arrested, three for trespassing, and one for trespassing and aggravated assault against a peace officer, he said. Two are students are two are unaffiliated with the university, he said.

A judge dismissed the assault against a peace officer case on Wednesday, agreeing with a public defender that there wasn’t evidence the 20-year-old protester intentionally kicked an officer, KOLD reported.

The Tucson Police Officers Association criticized the dismissal, writing in a Facebook post Wednesday, “Several dozen of our officers responded to the U of A campus to assist in the removal of the unlawful camp there. Several TPD officers were assaulted with bottles and other objects, kicked, and spit on. This is beyond unacceptable and we will continue to advocate for every single person involved in the camp to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

A member of the encampment who serves as a media liaison refused to answer questions from the Star or give a statement about the throwing of objects at officers.

As in the general faculty letter, signees of the School of Government and Public Policy’s statement “urge law enforcement agencies and University of Arizona administrators not to advance criminal, administrative or academic sanctions against students exercising their political rights in a peaceful manner.”

The school’s letter does not show the number of signatures it has garnered, but it was sent to the school’s email listserv with a wide reach.

The faculty and staff of the Center for Latin American Studies released a similar statement, writing that “as Latin Americanists who have collectively witnessed and lived through many instances of state-sponsored violent suppression, we are proud of the students who have the courage to stand up for their beliefs and affirm their right to protest peacefully.”

Students Against Apartheid, in a statement on Instagram, said, “President Robbins’ response prioritizes the safety of law enforcement officers over that of unarmed students, even as police deployed tear gas and fired rubber bullets point-blank into the crowd, hitting many students below the waist and in the head. He refused to acknowledge the agitators and counter protestors, many of which were publicly intoxicated, that were inciting aggression, yelling slurs and making peaceful protesters feel unsafe.”