Police in riot gear clear anti-Israel encampment at University of Chicago

Police in riot gear are clearing an anti-Israel encampment at the University of Chicago early Tuesday morning.

Protesters locked arms and stood opposed to officers who the university called to disperse the encampment on campus that has been set up for more than a week. Police gave a final notice to students participating in the protest that they must leave or be arrested for criminal trespass, according to video on social media.

"Additionally, failure to immediately leave will result in disciplinary action as outlined in the Student Manual. You will be immediately placed on  emergency interim leave of absence from the University," the notice states.

Campus police surrounded the quad overnight and began removing tents, announcing over loudspeakers that anyone who remains in the encampment will be arrested. 

In a message Tuesday, University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos said the university intervened to end the encampment Tuesday due to safety concerns and increasing risks that made the status quo unacceptable.

"The protesters were given an opportunity to disassemble their structures and depart the encampment, and there have been no arrests. Where appropriate, disciplinary action will proceed," Alivisatos said.

"Over multiple days, including through the weekend, we engaged with the representatives of the encampment to work toward a resolution. There were areas where we were able to achieve common ground, but ultimately a number of the intractable and inflexible aspects of their demands were fundamentally incompatible with the University’s principled dedication to institutional neutrality. As such, we could not come to a resolution," he explained. 

"The University remains a place where dissenting voices have many avenues to express themselves, but we cannot enable an environment where the expression of some dominates and disrupts the healthy functioning of the community for the rest."