University of Utah president vows to ‘enforce the rule of law’ as students plan another pro-Palestine protest

Less than 12 hours after students protesters were violently disbanded by police, University of Utah President Taylor Randall said the school will continue to “enforce the rule of law” with encampments.

The statement is the first to come from the university’s leadership in response to the volatile rally that has drawn widespread attention for the force used on what was a peaceful gathering in support of Palestine.

Another protest started on the U. campus Tuesday evening. But after the arrest of one student leader, demonstrators moved to the Salt Lake County jail. A U. spokesperson said the student was arrested on suspicion of trespassing, disorderly conduct and failure to disperse — all stemming from Monday’s rally — as well as resisting arrest on Tuesday night.

Demonstrators who moved to the county jail said they would not leave until the student was released from custody.

Meanwhile, the U. president’s remarks drew backlash in the comment sections on social media. And the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah also put out a statement condemning the U.’s reaction.

“You will now be remembered as the U of U pres who sent cops in riot gear to violently remove peaceful protesters,” one person wrote. “You should be ashamed.”

Another added: “I am as proud of the students involved in this protest as I am disgusted in your administration’s response to them.”

Some called on Randall to resign. Others said they would be pulling their donations from the state’s flagship institution. A few mentioned the opposite response to the rally compared to the university previously encouraging students to camp out on the same plot of grass in Presidents’ Circle for ESPN’s Game Day last fall.

U. spokesperson Rebecca Walsh said that football celebration was a permitted, university-sponsored event. The rally, she said, was not. If the students had applied for a permit, she said, that would have included discussions with the university about permissible structures.

Utah law and university policy ban camping on campus, which police announced as they charged at protesters in riot gear to break up the gathering, ripping up tents and arresting 19 people, according to updated numbers provided by the U. on Tuesday. Randall reiterated the statute in his statement, too.

“At the University of Utah, you have an absolute right to express your opinion,” he said. “You do not have the right to violate law or university policy. It is unlawful to set up structures or camp overnight on university property.”

Hundreds of U. students had set up more than 20 tents Monday afternoon outside the Park Building, which houses university administrators. In lockstep with other campus protests nationwide, they called on their school to divest its $1.47 billion endowment from Israel and weapons manufacturers benefitting from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

After about seven hours of the students chanting, police officers from campus and agencies across Salt Lake County stormed the encampment at 11 p.m. It took an hour to clear. Randall said before that occurred, “several attempts” were made “to connect with and listen to student protesters.”

“I hold an unwavering belief in the power of freely expressed ideas to improve our state and world,” the president said.

Then, he added: “I want the students and faculty who lawfully protested yesterday to know their voices are heard and matter. They are welcome to continue to express their views legally and peacefully.”

Randall also called on students to support this year’s graduating class — which will be celebrated with a commencement ceremony Thursday — by not causing further disruption.

“I ask our campus community to support our graduates by expressing views in a dignified, peaceful, and legal manner,” he said. “By doing so, we exercise our right of free expression, honor our graduates, and exemplify civil society.”

Walsh said that the university is not planning additional security for the graduation events, but most of the locations do require participants be screened for weapons before they can enter.

Randall’s post drew more than 400 comments, most criticizing the president, in the first two hours after the statement was posted on Instagram. One commenter fired back: “You are the only ones who were not peaceful.”

Freedom of speech has been a hot topic for Utah’s college campuses in the past year. It first came to a head last fall when the U. withdrew its sponsorship for the student group Mecha, which is largely run by and for students of color.

The school has said a protest by Mecha members of a conservative event critical of the transgender community was disruptive to the point that university police had to cancel it. U. officers submitted reports to prosecutors, and eight Mecha students have been criminally charged.

After that, the Utah Board of Higher Education issued guidelines for free speech on campus, outlining limitations on it and prohibiting school presidents from weighing in on current events, specifically including the Israel-Hamas war.

There’s been an uneasy tension on campuses that exploded with the U. rally Monday, which was organized by Mecha — as is the following one for Tuesday.

The student group says, so far, that five of the 19 people arrested have been released from Salt Lake County Jail. They have asked supporters to contribute to a bail fund.

Walsh said the U. was not planning to release the names of those arrested. She said they will be screened for criminal charges and could also face university discipline, including suspension or expulsion.

A statement from the ACLU of Utah on Tuesday urged the U. and other Utah colleges to use “restraint” in their responses to campus protests.

“In many instances, especially during times of war, protests on campus can be loud, disruptive, and offensive to others,” the organization said. “A university’s role is to help students navigate this situation, not to shut down protests.”

The ACLU added that the way the U.’s rally was handled by police “risked the safety and well-being of those directly involved as well as those in the area.”