Protesters call on university authorities to drop charges against arrested UNH students

University of New Hampshire students protested Friday morning outside a University System Council meeting, calling on the university administration to drop charges against 11 students arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest in May. During the session, demonstrators stood outside the Strafford Room in the Memorial Union Building and chanted “drop the charges and recant.”

The public portion of the Board of Trustees meeting was interrupted when the board decided that the protesting shouts were too disruptive. The officer later warned the group that they would have to lower the volume. New Hampshire law states that police have the right to remove people who actively disrupt a public meeting.

“We also have the right to conduct our board business without disruption,” Alex Walker, the board’s chairman, told protesters. “The singing and the volume are legitimately disruptive to people’s ability… to focus on the business at hand.”

After stepping back and reducing their volume, the protesters remained outside for the duration of the meeting, which lasted about an hour and a half.

On the other side of the state, charges were dropped Thursday against at least 28 people arrested during similar protests at Dartmouth College, the Valley News reports.

Adeena Ahsan is a graduate student and member of the Palestine Solidarity Coalition at UNH. She said she believes the university should follow the lead of institutions across the state and country.

“Charges have been dropped across the country. Charges are even being dropped at UT-Austin, where state troopers have also been called in,” she said.

In an email to NHPR, Catherine Provencher, USNH’s chief administrative officer and new chancellor, said the university had no authority to drop charges against arrested students.

“There is an enforcement process that the University System of New Hampshire and UNH respects and will allow for its implementation, and it is administered by the Strafford County Attorney’s Office and the University Police Department,” she said. “The university administration does not have the authority to drop the charges and it is not appropriate for university leadership to manage the enforcement process.”

According to Ahsan, at least 11 people, including some students arrested on May 1, delivered a letter Friday morning expressing their intention to sue the university and Gov. Chris Sununu. The potential plaintiffs claim their civil rights were violated during the protest.

Provencher said the university had not yet received the letter and had no comment on the potential litigation.

Ahsan, who was present at the May 1 protest and helped organize the legal proceedings, said the lawsuit was important to hold the government accountable.

“Our civil rights were violated on May 1,” she said. “We filed a notice of intent to sue to set a precedent where this type of speech, this type of gathering, is not criminalized.”

Ahsan said May’s experiences and the administrative response made her feel unsafe on campus.

“As a person of color, I certainly don’t feel welcome on this campus and by this administration that feels comfortable throwing police at their students for free,” she said. “Basically anytime they feel uncomfortable.”