COLUMBUS, Ohio — Courtney DeRoche and Alex Kempler were two of hundreds of people at a pro-Palestine protest on Thursday night at the South Oval at Ohio State University. The women went to the protest in support of their students.
“Horrified by the bombing and violence in Gaza and the West Bank and the broader region,” said DeRoche, a graduate student.
“I feel like now is the time to stand in solidarity with my students and not only my students but Gaza and Palestine,” said Kempler, another graduate student.
DeRoche and Kempler were arrested on Thursday night. When police started to surround the circle of students, they joined arms to protect the students praying in the center.
“So essentially when police were able to break the barrier of the circle, when folks fell on the ground they would arrest them. That’s what happened in the case of Courtney and I,” said Kempler.
DeRoche said the police response shocked her. Ohio State police officers and state troopers were at the protest along with a helicopter that spotlighted the area.
“Military-level force against non-violent teenage protesters was astonishing,” said DeRoche.
The women feel the police response was not necessary for the event.
“This is a space of academic freedom, of free thinking so to see that oppression of student protests is horrific for me,” said Kempler.
“I wasn’t expecting to be arrested at a university I have been attending for 12 years. I started here in 2012 with a bachelor's, I got my master's and now I’m getting my PhD,” said DeRoche.
They believe students were expressing their First Amendment rights by organizing a protest.
“This is a free speech issue but that is not the major issue. The major issue is on the ground in Gaza and Palestine. This is a microcosm of that,” said Kempler.
Kempler said the arrests won't stop the students from having protests.
“This is not going to go away because the semester is over, these students are passionate. They are going to keep fighting,” she said.