The university’s response was likely the quickest show of police force in response to a divestment protest among the dozens nationwide that have occurred in recent weeks. It was also probably the only one where pepper balls, stun guns and rubber bullets were used against students, faculty and community members – at one of the few student protests in the south to date.

    • Death_Equity@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      The university is not publicly owned, they can have people removed under various laws like trespassing or disturbing the peace. They aren’t exactly being removed and arrested because of what they are saying, but because they are rightfully upsetting the university by being there and being a nuisance.

      If I am at your house protesting you eating meat and I set up my camp on your front lawn, you can have the police remove me by force after I have been asked to leave and my rights would not be violated in that removal. Same sort of thing is going on with the university protests.

      If they were protesting in a public park and had all the permits they needed(permitted protest is a funny concept) and violated zero laws(while protesting lol), then the police came and ordered them to disperse, they didn’t, then the police began using riot control tactics and arresting people, that would violate first amendment law.

    • stoly@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      The first amendment only applies to public institutions. The private ones can tell you to screw off.