Pro-Palestinian protesters vacate encampment at the University of Pittsburgh overnight

PITTSBURGH — Protests at the University of Pittsburgh have ended in what officials are calling a peaceful ending to a long few days.

Protesters were calling for the university to sever any ties with Israel or companies promoting the Israel-Hamas War.

The Pittsburgh police chief told Channel 11 that the mayor and his team were able to speak with “willing and trusted participants” inside the encampment on Monday night. A short time later, protestors vacated the encampment.

It came just hours after protesters clashed with police. A Pitt police officer was pulled to the ground when protestors pulled down fencing. A protestor who cut their head during the incident was taken to a local hospital.

A Pitt spokesperson said the exterior of the Cathedral of Learning was vandalized during the demonstration and the city made the decision to step in overnight.

>> Protestors defaced Cathedral of Learning, Frick Fine Arts Building on Sunday, Pitt Chancellor says

“With the mayor’s engagement, their willingness to participate, we were able to come to an agreement that they would vacate the lawn and move on, and that’s the only thing we can ask for,” Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto said.

The university said there were up to 200 members of the demonstration at one point or another.

On Tuesday afternoon, a Pitt spokesman sent Channel 11 the following statement:

“Following two days of demonstrations, protestors voluntarily left the encampment Tuesday morning. The Mayor’s office, in close coordination with University leadership and public safety teams from the University of Pittsburgh, City of Pittsburgh Police, Allegheny County Sheriff’s office, and Pennsylvania State Police led negotiations with protestors who were largely unaffiliated with the University. The Cathedral of Learning lawn is now cleared, and the rest of the campus is open and under normal operations. The University is thankful for the support it received from the Mayor’s office, the University of Pittsburgh Police Department, and other local officials and law enforcement agencies.”

Mayor Ed Gainey’s communications director, Maria Montano, sent Channel 11 the following statement:

“Our number one priority last night was to find a path towards a peaceful resolution so that everyone could go home safely. I want to be clear: while demonstrators reiterated some of their demands as part of the discussion, the primary focus of this meeting was not about their demands, but about how we could find a way to resolve the conflict on Pitt’s campus peacefully. Our decision to meet with them was in no way an endorsement of those demands.

Last night, we were able to connect with individuals inside of the encampment and were able to convene a meeting with representatives, which included a mixture of Palestinian and Jewish students and faculty, in order to try to find a path forward.

Protesters acknowledged that most of their demands were not of the City or County, but of the University, and they were appreciative of our open and honest communication about what we knew. All parties were clear that the Mayor and the County Executive could not negotiate on behalf of the University, and no actionable commitments by the University were made.  We clarified the role and authority that the Mayor and County Executive had in the moment and a clarified their role as non-voting members of the University’s Board of Trustees.

We shared information about the Mayor’s work to attempt to deescalate the situation and provided our assessment of what was likely to happen in the wake of violence at the encampment, to enable protesters to make informed decisions.

Once the meeting ended, we facilitated the return of the protesters to the encampment to allow them to have a conversation with others about their next steps. At 2:00 AM they made the decision to leave Pitt’s campus peacefully.  Our City of Pittsburgh Police then facilitated their peaceful dispersal.”

A press conference will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, addressing the protest.

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