Campus Alert Archive
ASU

72 Arrested Overnight at Old Main: ASU's Swift Gaza Encampment Clearance and the DOJ Hijab Removal Investigation

AZcivil unrestadvisoryhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

In the overnight hours of April 26-27, 2024, Arizona State University Police arrested 72 people -- the majority non-students -- after Students Against Apartheid established an unauthorized encampment on the Alumni Lawn outside Old Main on the Tempe campus. Officers issued repeated dispersal warnings via loudspeaker before making arrests around midnight MST after the university's 11:00 PM deadline passed. The clearance later triggered a Department of Justice civil-rights review after four women alleged that ASUPD officers removed their hijabs during the arrests.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Arizona State University
Public R1 · AZ
ASU Emergency Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTother
Approximate reconstruction377 chars
[Arizona State University officials announced via loudspeaker at the Old Main Alumni Lawn that an unlawful assembly had been declared. All persons in the encampment were ordered to disperse immediately or face arrest for criminal trespassing. Those who remained after the announcement would be subject to arrest and charges under Arizona Board of Regents policy and state law.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

ASU issued dispersal warnings at least twice via on-site loudspeaker -- approximately 10:40 PM and 11:47 PM MST -- rather than through its mass-notification ASU Emergency Alert system, consistent with the university's characterization of the situation as a policy-enforcement operation rather than a campus safety emergency
Old Main is ASU's oldest building and administrative center, located on the Tempe campus at the intersection of Tyler Mall and Palm Walk; the Alumni Lawn outside Old Main is a ceremonial space adjacent to the president's office
Arizona does not observe daylight saving time; all MST timestamps in this file (UTC-7) are correct for late April in Tempe
UPDATEother
Approximate reconstruction310 chars
[Arizona State University issued a second and final dispersal order via loudspeaker, warning that law enforcement would move in within minutes to make arrests. All persons remaining in the Old Main Alumni Lawn encampment were again ordered to leave immediately or face arrest and criminal trespassing charges.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Officers moved into the encampment approximately five minutes after the second warning at about 11:52 PM MST, well before the university's stated 11 PM deadline -- consistent with witnesses who reported little time to comply
Of the 72 people arrested, the great majority were not ASU students; ASU student and staff arrestees were subject to interim suspension orders
The ASU Newsroom's official 'April 2024 Protest Encampment' page on newsroom.asu.edu served as the primary institutional account of the operation
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction438 chars
[Arizona State University confirmed that 72 individuals were taken into custody for criminal trespassing following the overnight removal of an unauthorized encampment outside Old Main on the Tempe campus. Of those arrested, the great majority were not affiliated with the university. All ASU-affiliated individuals were subject to interim suspension pending student conduct review. The campus was open and operating on a normal schedule.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

ASU's official fact sheet on the encampment noted that protesters violated 'university or Arizona Board of Regents policy including tents, overnight presence, creating a university disturbance, and being in a reservable space that wasn't reserved by ASU students'
In October 2024, the DOJ announced a civil rights review of allegations that ASUPD officers removed hijabs from four Muslim women during the arrests -- a detail that became the most prominent aspect of the ASU encampment case in national coverage
ASU stated it 'believes that ASU Police took actions that night consistent with recognized law enforcement practices' and committed to fully cooperate with the DOJ review
Context

Background

On the afternoon of April 26, 2024, members of Students Against Apartheid established an encampment they named the 'ASU Liberated Zone' on the Alumni Lawn outside Old Main on the Tempe campus. About 250 people participated, not all of them students. University officials stated by early evening that university policy prohibits overnight events and that remaining past the 11:00 PM deadline would result in arrest for criminal trespassing. Officers delivered dispersal warnings via loudspeaker at approximately 10:40 PM and 11:47 PM MST. Police moved in around midnight, making 72 arrests -- a number initially reported as 69 by the Arizona State Press and later confirmed at 72 by ASU. The great majority of those arrested were not ASU students. Enrolled student and staff arrestees received interim suspensions. ASU's enforcement was one of the swiftest in the spring 2024 wave, occurring less than 24 hours after the encampment began. The case attracted renewed national attention in October 2024 when the Department of Justice announced a civil rights review of allegations that four Muslim women had their hijabs removed by ASUPD officers during the arrests. Each of the four women sought $1 million in damages. ASU maintained that officers acted 'consistent with recognized law enforcement practices.'
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Pro-Palestine protestors set up tents outside of Old Main, three arrests made (Arizona State Press)
    statepress.com
  2. Official
    April 2024 Protest Encampment (ASU Newsroom)
    newsroom.asu.edu
  3. News
    72 people arrested for trespassing after Israel-Hamas war protest at ASU Tempe (AZFamily)
    azfamily.com
  4. News
    DOJ will review whether ASU police violated protesters' rights at April encampment (KJZZ)
    kjzz.org
  5. Student Paper
    ASU confirms 69 people arrested outside of Old Main (Arizona State Press)
    statepress.com
Tags
civil-unrestgaza-encampmentold-mainasupdarrestshijab-removaldoj-investigationcampus-protestarizonapublic-r1
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion