The president of GW released a statement on Sunday expressing concern about the pro-Palestinian encampment at the school, which she believes has become dangerous and has been taken over by individuals not affiliated with the university.
Ellen Granberg reiterated the school's support for peaceful and lawful protests, but also stated that the demonstration has turned into an illegal and potentially dangerous occupation of GW property.
Granberg mentioned instances where protesters vandalized university property, used antisemitic images and rhetoric, and confronted GW students, police officers, and staff. She believes these actions have made the protest no longer peaceful or productive.
She partly blamed individuals not associated with the university for the state of the encampment, similar to concerns voiced by other schools during the protests.
At other schools where police force was used, some of those arrested were found to have no affiliation with the university.
GW has reportedly asked for help from the D.C. police, but they have refused to remove the encampment.
Granberg expressed that the university is not equipped to handle this type of situation alone, and that they need the support of the DC Metropolitan Police Department.
Currently, the District is in communication with the university, and the DC Metropolitan Police are providing increased security in and around University Yard.
The Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter in the D.C. area criticized the president's statement, accusing her of lying and trying to portray the students negatively.
The SJP group interpreted the statement as a threat to use escalated state force against the students, staff, faculty, and community members supporting the Palestinian people. They accused Granberg of prioritizing the interests of her Zionist donors over addressing the university's complicity in genocide.
The group disputed claims of outside influence on the encampment, asserting that the community's will has been ignored, and highlighted that they have been able to sustain the encampment due to support from the community.
The situation escalated last week following a call from the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chair for a hearing. James Comer (R-Ky.) called for a hearing Wednesday to address why the police wouldn't respond to the request by the private university.
Multiple Republican House members visited the campus amidst the protests, engaging in arguments with demonstrators as they tried to drown out their speeches.
Boebert said at the event using a megaphone that if the faculty doesn't take action to remove a Palestinian sign from the George Washington statue, they can say goodbye to their federal funding.
