JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), University of North Florida Students for a Democratic Society (UNF SDS), Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JaxPSN), and community members were rallying on the steps of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Friday afternoon, calling for the charges to be dropped and release of the UNF protesters arrested Thursday night.
All of the protesters, 17 in total, have been released from the Duval County jail. Fourteen of the protesters were released on their own recognizance, and three of them were released after posting bail.
JCAC said in a release sent to First Coast News that they "demand the release of the peaceful student and pro-Palestine [protestors who were] arrested at UNF late Thursday evening."
A UNF student told First Coast News he has no regrets about being arrested at the protest.
“I did what I had to do in matters of forwarding our movement," said Icarus Olsen, a UNF sophomore who was arrested Thursday night.
Most of the protestors are students and have been told they are not allowed back on the university's campus and are required to comply with any rule UNF has for them regarding trespassing.
The protestors gathered on the Green at UNF for three days. There were about 70 protestors at one point Thursday. UNF SDS is asking the university to divest from companies with ties to Israel, such as Lockheed Martin.
The students said a night in jail won’t stop them from their mission.
"This hasn’t stopped me, this hasn’t deterred me, honestly, seeing how they’ve been treating students and how I’ve been treated adds more of a spark," Olsen told First Coast News.
Olsen said he plans to continue protesting at the university until it ceases investment in companies that do business with Israel.
Ramma Abduljawad was another protester arrested Thursday night; she is not a UNF student. Her lawyer said she has no prior criminal history.
“She’s an important member of our community, she has four small children and this is very upsetting that they were trying to peacefully protest and this is the response we get," said Haia Abdel-Jaber, Abduljawad's lawyer.
The protesters are due back in court on May 13.
Just before nightfall Thursday, a large group of officers approached the group, as they were told to take down the umbrellas they put up.
One protester told First Coast News they were previously allowed to have umbrellas, but police changed the rules.
The group complied and at that time, the police left. Protestors were told they needed to disperse by 10 p.m. While most of them left or moved away from the Green, between 10 and 15 stayed after the curfew.
The protestors chanted, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," "Free free, free Palestine," and "The students united will never be defeated."
Just after 10:35 p.m., dozens of officers returned to the area and surrounded the students with their bikes. Officers began lifting students off the ground, cuffing them with zip ties, and telling them to sit on the ground.
Around 11:15 p.m., officers escorted the protestors into police vans and left the University of North Florida's campus.
In a statement Friday, UNF wrote:
"The University of North Florida respects the right for all to protest, demonstrate, assemble and express differing viewpoints. As we exercise our First Amendment rights, we also have the responsibility to follow applicable laws, rules and regulations.
Consistent with the University’s enforcement of reasonable time, place and manner restrictions, demonstrators at UNF this evening were told by University Police that they needed to leave campus by 10 p.m. as they have done the previous two nights. After multiple warnings, those who refused to leave were trespassed from campus and arrested.
The University has no additional comment at this time."
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Max Morel told First Coast News he does not know how many officers responded to the scene and that JSO responded to assist the UNF Police Department.
First Coast News was on the scene for several hours as the scene unfolded. The full livestream is available below.