CALIFORNIA: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied a building that houses the offices of Stanford University’s president and provost early Wednesday, but law enforcement officers quickly removed them and made multiple arrests, the university said.
The takeover began near dawn on the last day of classes for the spring quarter.
Approximately 10 students barricaded themselves in the building while some 50 others linked arms outside, The Stanford Daily reported.
The group chanted “Palestine will be free, we will free Palestine.” Within about two hours officers had broken into the building and began taking people into custody.
“A group of individuals this morning unlawfully entered Building 10, which houses the offices of the president and provost,” spokesperson Dee Mostofi said in an email to The Associated Press.
“The Stanford Department of Public Safety has responded to the scene and is assessing the situation. Other campus operations have not been affected at this time.”
Protesters painted “Our office now” on a window and chanted, “Palestine will be free, we will free Palestine,” the school’s newspaper reported.
About two hours after the occupation began, law enforcement officers used a crowbar to enter the building and began making arrests, the Daily said.
Stanford is among colleges and universities around the country where activists are demanding their schools separate themselves from companies advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza and in some cases from Israel itself.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested after occupying Stanford University president’s office
https://arab.news/puse6
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested after occupying Stanford University president’s office
- Approximately 10 students barricaded themselves in the building while some 50 others linked arms outside
- The group chanted “Palestine will be free, we will free Palestine”
EU to suspend 93 billion euro retaliatory trade package against US for 6 months
- “With the removal of the tariff threat by the US we can now return to the important business,” Gill said
- The Commission will soon make a proposal “to roll over our suspended countermeasures”
BRUSSELS: The European Commission said on Friday it would propose suspending for another six months an EU package of retaliatory trade measures against the US worth 93 billion euros ($109.19 billion) that would otherwise kick in on February 7.
The package, prepared in the first half of last year when the European Union was negotiating a trade deal with the United States, was put on hold for six months when Brussels and Washington agreed on a joint statement on trade in August 2025.
US President Donald Trump’s threat last week to impose new tariffs on eight European countries over Washington’s push to acquire Greenland had made the retaliatory package a handy tool for the EU to use had Trump followed through on his threat.
“With the removal of the tariff threat by the US we can now return to the important business of implementing the joint EU-US statement,” Commission spokesman Olof Gill said.
The Commission will soon make a proposal “to roll over our suspended countermeasures, which are set to expire on February 7,” Gill said, adding the measures would be suspended for a further six months.
“Just to make absolutely clear — the measures would remain suspended, but if we need them at any point in the future, they can be unsuspended,” Gill said.
