Eleven pro-Hamas protesters arrested for storming a building at the University of Minnesota

Eleven pro-Hamas protesters were arrested Monday after they stormed a University of Minnesota administration building, AP reported.

The pro-terrorism rioters took over Morrill Hall on East Bank and caused property damage. They broke windows, covered the lenses of internal security cameras with spray paint and blocked entrances and exits on site, the university said.

University authorities issued an alert urging people to leave the building immediately and recommended others avoid the area.

University officials issued a statement saying 11 people were arrested less than two hours after entering the building.

The rioters defied authorities

Merlin Van Alstein, a representative of the pro-Hamas group, said earlier that about 30 demonstrators took over Morrin Hall and even more people were protesting outside.

The group of rioters renamed the building Halimy Hall after a Palestinian TikTok content creator named Medi Halimy who was killed last August in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. While the group blames the Jewish state for the young man's death, Israeli forces claimed they have no knowledge of the attack that ended his life.

The protesters arrived equipped with tents and supplies, AP reported.

Before they were arrested, Van Alstein challenged the authorities by claiming that the protesters inside the building were unwilling to leave until their demands were met or until they were forcibly removed.

Anti-semitism at universities

Since early 2024, a large number of anti-Semitic protests have taken place on college campuses and many Jewish students and faculty have been attacked.