By Lizzy Alspach, Marijke Friedman and Amelia Twyman
University of Maryland Police detained four people, including two student journalists, for about an hour on Tuesday night outside a speaker event that featured Israel Defense Forces soldiers.
This university’s Students Supporting Israel chapter hosted the event in Jiménez Hall, where three visiting soldiers spoke about their combat experience in Gaza. Four protesters entered Jiménez Hall and chanted and held signs in the hallway outside of where the event took place. Two student journalists, not with The Diamondback, stood in the hallway behind the protesters to record and take photos.
None of the students made it into the event before being detained. The two student journalists did not participate in the protest, videos show.
Two protesters left the hallway shortly after coming upstairs. As chants continued, officers surrounded three people, including one of the journalists. The other student journalist was later detained after stating to police that they were covering the protest.
“But the truth was my journalist friend and I were not protesting,” one of the journalists wrote in a statement to The Diamondback anonymously for fear of retribution. “We were there for photos and just because we look brown and Muslim, they forcefully detained us.”
In videos obtained by The Diamondback, officers questioned the journalists on whether they were part of the protest. The two student journalists clarified their roles, but were not released until later.
One of the journalists who was detained told the officers it seemed they were being held because the journalists were also people of color, video shows.
[UMD Students for Justice in Palestine petitions to cancel event with IDF soldiers]
An officer repeatedly told the group that they were violating university policy and told them to move to the designated protest area on McKeldin Mall, according to a statement from UMPD.
UMPD confirmed in a statement that four people were detained in violation of a Maryland education statute that states a person may not willfully disturb or prevent the orderly conduct of the activities, administration or classes of higher education. Anyone who is found to have violated it is subject to a misdemeanor, according to the statute.
“Four people were in the hallway causing a disruption,” the statement read. “This disruption included screaming, holding signs and recording their actions.”
Diamondback reporters recorded part of the detainment behind officers and were not asked to leave.
Shortly after they were detained, one person provided identification to the police and was determined to not be affiliated with the university, according to the statement. They were issued a denial of access. A second person identified themselves as a student at this university and will be referred to the student conduct office, the statement read.
“After repeated attempts, the remaining two people refused to identify themselves and after almost an hour on scene, it was decided to release them,” the statement read. “The investigation continues to include confirming the identities of the remaining individuals.”
UMPD wrote in a Wednesday afternoon statement that it identified the third student, who will be referred to the student conduct office.
The anonymous student journalist recorded the detainment by phone.
Officers told the journalists and the other students they broke state law, the anonymous source wrote, but did not specify which after students asked for more details during the detainment. Video taken by The Diamondback confirms the interaction and shows the student repeatedly stating they are a journalist to the officers.
“How am I disrupting an event if I’m a student journalist?” the student journalist asked officers in a separate video reviewed by The Diamondback.
“You were screaming, disrupting an event in a classroom,” the officer replied.
“I was screaming?”
“Yes,” the officer replied.
Video reviewed by The Diamondback shows both student journalists taking photos on a professional camera and cell phone as other students chanted and protested. Neither student journalist screamed or participated in the protest ahead of the detainment, video shows.
“When asked, all individuals refused to provide a name or credential that confirmed they were a journalist,” this university wrote in a Tuesday night statement.
[UMD spent more than $136,000 on event security for Oct. 7, 2024]
The anonymous source told The Diamondback they were never asked to provide media credentials, but UMPD officers asked for a university ID, which they did not provide. They also said they were not asked what media organization they were with.
Reporters for The Diamondback took videos and photos as the detainment continued on Tuesday and were not asked for their credentials.
Another video reviewed by The Diamondback shows a student journalist speaking with Stamp Student Union director Marsha Guenzler-Stevens about whether recording the event in a public space was a disruption. The student clarified they were reporting on the protest and continued to be detained.
Before the event with Israeli Defense Forces soldiers, this university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter circulated a petition, with about 1,700 signatures as of Wednesday evening, condemning the event and calling on the university to adopt a “‘no platform for war criminals’ policy.”
Students Supporting Israel president Uriel Appel said the protests were “very disrespectful” and “very pointless.”
“In the grand scheme of things, they accomplished absolutely nothing,” the senior neuroscience major told The Diamondback. “They didn’t even disrupt the event.”
This university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, Palestinian Cultural Club, Organization of Arab Students, Muslim Student Association and JusticeUMD ticket released a joint Instagram statement on Tuesday evening condemning the university for allowing the event.
“These soldiers have direct ties to Palestinian suffering, documented war crimes and violations of human rights,” the statement read. “It should be a basic matter of human decency, morality, and common sense to not allow these individuals responsible for the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people on our campus.”
The groups argued in the statement that the event is also against the university’s policy of a “supportive, respectful, and inclusive environment.” The soldiers’ invitation threatens the safety and security of Arab students on campus, the statement read.
“As students, we unequivocally demand the University issue a firm condemnation against this event,” the statement read. “UMD cannot and must not continue its complicity in genocide and its heedlessness towards the demands of its student population.”
This university told The Diamondback on Monday the event featuring the soldiers was planned according to university policy.
