Officials from Tennessee's Vanderbilt University ended an overnight sit-in protest against Israel at one of the prestigious institution's main buildings after locking students in without access to food, water or bathroom facilities.
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) protestors were seen charging past campus security and into the university's Kirkland Hall, beginning a major sit in that has so far resulted in several arrests, including of a local reporter.
Security footage released by the 151-year-old university shows a swarm of protestors pushing past a lone security guard at the front door of the building, where Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier's office is located.
They took control of the building, but campus police locked them in as a pressure tactic.
Security footage released by the 151-year-old university shows a swarm of protestors pushing past a lone security guard at the front door of the building
They took control of the building, but campus police locked them in as a pressure tactic
Videos taken from inside the building, shared to social media, showed them sitting on the floor linking arms and taunting campus security.
In one video, protestors were heard telling one police officer, who is black: 'You are black in America, and you're NOT standing with the marginalized people of the world. What does that make you?'
The protestors then screamed 'shame' at him.
But as the protest carried on into the night, many wanted to leave for medical reasons.
One protestor called 911, claiming they were worried that if they stayed inside they'd go into 'toxic shock.'
Protestors sitting on the floor linking arms and taunting campus security
A protestor called 911, claiming that if they stayed inside they'd go into 'toxic shock'
They said: 'There's currently a female student being denied the right to change her tampon that has been in for multiple hours, which leads to an increased risk of toxic shock syndrome.
Other video shared to social media showed fellow protestors slamming on the windows of the building, chanting over and over again: 'Let them pee, let them eat.'
Eventually, four students were arrested and suspended from the university, while a further 12 were suspended.
'All of the protest participants who breached the building will be placed on interim suspension,' the university said. The suspension means they must leave campus and can't return pending a Student Affairs review process.
Three students were charged with misdemeanor assault because they pushed a community service officer and a staff member who offered to meet with them as they entered the building, the school said.
A fourth student was charged with vandalism after breaking a window.
Hamas supporters have used the BDS movement as a non-violent way of protesting.
Supporters of Hamas have used the BDS movement as a non-violent way of protesting
BDS supporters have also gone after McDonald's and Starbucks. Earlier this month, Starbucks' Middle East operations announced it was cutting thousands of jobs in light of the BDS movement.
Universities like Vanderbilt have become hotbeds for BDS protests.
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