Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential candidate, and her deputy campaign manager were arrested on Saturday night after a physical altercation with law enforcement officers at a student protest at Washington University in St. Louis.
There is a growing number of on-campus demonstrations happening at colleges and universities nationwide. Washington University's demonstration is called the encampment, which intends to show widespread student opposition to the university's affiliation with Boeing. According to activists leaders, the aerospace giant is complicit in “genocide” due to its business dealings with Israel. (RELATED: Cosplay Revolutionaries Say The Quiet Part Out Loud)
Stein admitted to being arrested at the encampment during an interview with KSDK News.
“You know, it just, it just felt like we have to stand up and call this out. And, you know, that, that's what our campaign will continue to do. We are doing this election to ensure that the American people have a choice in the voting booth. That we're not just going to be presented with actually, three pro-war, pro-genocide candidates between Donald Trump, Joe Biden and RFK, who pretends to be a peace candidate but who is all for, basically the abuses of the Israeli government and makes no bones about it,” Stein claimed.
KSDK continues:
Around 10 p.m. hundreds of demonstrators moved from the WashU campus to the St. Louis County jail in Clayton where dozens of protestors were detained, including Stein. 5 On Your Side was there overnight and counted roughly 200 people waiting outside showing their support for those arrested.
Stein spent six hours in police custody. She was booked in the jail at 7:26 pm and released at 1:30 am. Stein spoke with 5 On Your Side minutes after her release, saying she is facing charges of assault.
“I sat a long time sitting alone in a cell, and I had no idea— ‘Did anybody even know I was there?' I was separated from the group, and I was like, ‘Am I going be there all night or in here for a week?'” Stein said.
Stein bitterly criticized the university for its response, accusing the chancellor of calling in riot police and turning a peaceful protest into a riot. “This is shameful,” she said.
Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin appeared unmoved in a statement released Monday.
“Saturday was a dark, sad day for WashU,” Martin began. “When the group began to set up an encampment, which is in clear violation of our explicitly stated policies, we asked them to leave, multiple times. They did not leave voluntarily, so we made the decision to peaceably remove them. Unfortunately, they physically resisted.”
“To those who plan to continue to come to campus with the intention of disrupting our education and research mission and violating our policies, please know we will respond proportionately each and every time. You will not do this here.”
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