CLEVELAND — While many colleges are preparing for graduation ceremonies and students are taking their final exams, anti-war demonstrations are continuing to erupt on many campuses.

Just hours after 19 people were arraigned in Columbus after being arrested during a protest on Ohio State’s campus last week, more than a dozen others were detained and released at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

What You Need To Know

  • Case Western Reserve University protesters are calling on the university to disclose investments 

  • A university spokesperson said students were detained and released Monday morning for having tents at the encampment 

  • The protesters said their goal is to be peaceful 

“We’re here basically to call on the university to disclose their investments, be completely transparent,” said Yousef Khalaf, a Case Western Reserve University student.

Khalaf is among the Case Western Reserve University students who have spent hours in front of the school’s library protesting the war in Gaza.

A university spokesperson confirms about 20 students were detained and released at the start of the protest for having tents that are not allowed on the green. 

“We are here peacefully protesting. We’re not here trying to be violent or cause any violence. In fact the only people that are causing and inciting violence are the cops that they bring onto this encampment,” Khalaf said.

Tim Black is a professor at Case Western Reserve University. He said he was at the protest to support the students exercising their political speech on campus. 

“They have spoken out, they have done everything they can to bring attention to this issue to say that going about our day as usual is not acceptable,” Black said.

The school released a statement that read, “Challenges to the status quo are what make universities, especially ours, such powerful learning environments… We support these individuals' rights to free speech, and Case Western Reserve police will protect their right to peaceful freedom of expression in accordance with our policies.”

However, the school said it will not tolerate hate speech, and there are rules that need to be followed.

“Our rules are appropriate time, place and manner for protest. Time, we want it during the daytime, this was in a recognized and is an appropriate place it’s not extensively interfering with other critical university activities,” said Peter Whiting, interim vice president of Student Affairs at Case Western Reserve University.

But Whiting said the university deemed the tents not appropriate because they could prevent the students from walking across the space. 

“Students are welcome to protest and advocate. We’ve received their message earlier,” Whiting said.

Monday night, some students and alumni were given wristbands to be allowed to stay at their protest site overnight.