Authorities arrested four people Monday in connection with recent vandalism at Case Western Reserve University.
The vandalism at the University Circle campus included spray paint and posters on buildings, tables, structures and pieces of artwork. Officials told Signal Cleveland on Friday that they considered some of the language and symbols used to be antisemitic. The university would not reveal specifically what it found.
Among videos shared on social media include one showing a brick wall spray painted with the words “Free Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Haiti, Lebanon.”
The university did not reveal any details about the people arrested. But Tyler Sinclair, a spokesman for the City of Cleveland, said Case Western Reserve’s police department arrested four people based on its own investigation “in which multiple buildings and other property were extensively damaged.” He said the university police turned over the individuals to the city and they were initially charged with vandalism, a felony of the fourth degree, Sinclair said.
Sinclair did not say if any of those arrested are students at Case Western Reserve. The individuals charged include a 22-year-old female, 21-year-old male, a 20-year-old female, and a 19-year-old male.
Because the cases involve potential felonies, they were referred to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, which will decide whether to present them to a grand jury. A spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office said it has yet to receive the cases.
The vandalism comes months after the Cleveland campus, like others nationwide, was the site of pro-Palestinian protests and demonstrations earlier protesting the war in Gaza and showing support for Palestine.
Case Western Reserve says vandalism is criminal investigation
In a statement Monday, pro-Palestian activists said students were among those arrested. They described the arrests as “retaliatory and politically motivated.”
Activists added that members of Case Western Reserve’s Students for Justice on Palestine, a group that was part of the spring demonstrations, were not affiliated with Friday’s vandalism.
“CWRU has continued to falsely call any student work that critiques Israel antisemitic instead of protecting their students and facilitating honest and meaningful campus dialogue,” they wrote via email.
University officials said those arrested were transferred to the Cuyahoga County Jail.
“As this is now a criminal investigation, the university is unable to provide further comment,” officials wrote in an email to Signal Cleveland Tuesday.
This story was updated to include arrest details.