GWU’s plea denied by D.C. police to remove university protesters

Officials from George Washington University pleaded with D.C. police to clear pro-Palestinian demonstrators from an on-campus encampment but were rejected due to concerns about the optics of moving against a small number of peaceful protesters. Officers were prepared to enter the encampment early Friday morning but were ordered to stand down by senior leaders. Protesters were largely peaceful, and city officials wanted to avoid violent altercations being broadcast nationwide. Despite this, D.C. police had not sought to arrest anyone at the encampment as of Friday night. The number of demonstrators dwindled by late afternoon, with remaining students warned about potential consequences.

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