Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, 73, was arrested Saturday at the University of Washington.
Stein and members of her campaign staff joined pro-Palestinian protests at a university in St. Louis, Missouri, when the 2024 candidate scuffled with authorities.
University of Washington students are among those participating in nationwide campus protests over their university’s ties to the war in Gaza.
Stein also joined protesters at Columbia University on Friday, where anti-Israel protesters took over the campus with an encampment that they refuse to dismantle despite threats from the university.
Jill Stein (center) and her campaign staff were arrested at an anti-Israel protest on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, on Saturday.
Stein fights with law enforcement who were pushing back protesters with a bicycle
The presidential bet claims that Columbia is writing a “blank check” to fund the war in Gaza because its endowment includes investments in Microsoft, which sells computers to the Israel Defense Forces.
Several videos posted on X over the weekend show Stein joining the demonstration.
One clip shows the politician physically pushing police away using a bicycle to push protesters into a contained area.
Along with Stein, the others arrested with his team include campaign manager Jason Call and deputy campaign manager Kelly Merrill-Cayer.
Several universities across the country are experiencing mass protests against Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Specifically, pro-Palestinian students are protesting their universities’ ties to Israel.
The most extreme protests are taking place at Columbia University in New York City, where hundreds of people camped out on campus and forced the suspension of in-person classes. Columbia’s endowment includes investments in Microsoft and Amazon, which do business with Israel.
Before being handcuffed, Stein recorded a video describing her actions.
“We are here with WashU students defending our constitutional rights, defending the American people who want an end to this genocide now,” he said in a selfie-style video.
Stein (left) links arms with Councilwoman Alisha Sonnier (second from right) and Councilwoman President Megan Green (right) while participating in a pro-Palestinian protest at WashU in St. Louis, Missouri, on Saturday.
“The police are gathered here,” he added, looking at an image of a full police force, “and we’re going to line up here with the students.”
In the background of the video, college students can be heard chanting, “Hold the line.”
“Jill and others were trying to de-escalate tension with the police before they started arresting people,” a post from Stein’s X account states:.
With a megaphone in hand but speaking without one, Stein told law enforcement authorities: “We can avoid the shame and humiliation that will befall this administration if it attacks peaceful protesters who are simply calling for peace and human rights and an end to conflict.” a genocide that the American people abhor.’
