Student protesters camped out on the campus of George Washington University on Friday as demonstrations over the war between Israel and Hamas continued, a day after both Georgetown University and GWU saw hundreds of people demonstrate on their campuses.

Shortly before 4 p.m. on Friday, The Hatchet, GW’s student newspaper, reported that much of the camp had been abandoned by students. The university had said the students faced disciplinary action.

Earlier, most protesters moved into and around the street, taking their bags and tents, after university workers put up metal fencing around University Yard.

“I talked to a student who said that some of the students who were within that area decided to move out of that area rather than risk being arrested; “They said they had scholarships and stuff, so they didn’t want to get arrested.” WTOP’s Kyle Cooper reported. “But some students have stayed inside that metal fence.”

GWU alerted students at 7:39 a.m.. that there was restricted access to the courtyard and that Kogan Plaza, the main plaza on campus, was also closed. The Hatchet reported at 8:26 a.m. that only “protesters who are willing to risk arrest” remained in University Yard.

“There are some that are still within that barrier, others are outside that barrier and they continue to sing,” Cooper observed Friday morning.

The chanting had begun again around 7 a.m. when a large presence of university and DC police closed the quad. An hour later, those chants began to focus on the police presence and the war between Israel and Hamas.

“DC police are on the perimeter, we’ve seen up to several dozen officers hanging around here, now just a handful again,” Cooper said. “So we’re not exactly sure if the police intend to come in and ask these students to move, or forcibly remove them.”

WTOP/Kyle Cooper

WTOP/Emily Venezky

WTOP/Emily Venezky

WTOP/Kyle Cooper

WTOP/Emily Venezky

WTOP/Kyle Cooper

WTOP/Kyle Cooper

WTOP/Kyle Cooper

George Washington officials said in a statement at 10 a.m. that “people remaining in University Yard and anyone attempting to join them are trespassing on private property and violating university regulations.”

The university said it is working with D.C. police to secure the area and will “take disciplinary action against GW students involved in these unauthorized protests that continue to disrupt university operations.”

The protests have disrupted law school final exams, which were due to be held in buildings adjacent to the protest camp and were moved to another building due to noise.

In another statement issued Thursday, officials said the institution “does not allow overnight camps on university property” and that students must leave by 7 p.m. The university asked the police to intervene, but the police did not intercede when protesters were still at the scene after the deadline had passed.

The university issued a statement at 7:50 p.m. Thursday saying the encampment “is an unauthorized use of university space and violates several university policies. “The university and DC police continue to work in coordination to determine how to best address the situation and ensure that students comply with those policies.”

The Hatchet reported Friday that the nearby main campus plaza, Kogan Plaza, was surrounded by police overnight, and sirens sounded around 2 a.m. when police warned they were about to start arresting students. but the arrests never occurred.

The student-run publication also said the encampments began at 5 a.m. Thursday with 50 tents pitched in University Yard, just three blocks from the White House.

The Associated Press reported that the number of protesters increased significantly throughout the morning, with protesters waving Palestinian flags. playing drums and chanting slogans.

Later, a group of Georgetown University students and faculty organized their own strike and marched to the George Washington campus to join the protesters there.

Students from other local universities, including American University, George Mason and the University of Maryland, also participated in the demonstration on the GW campus.

Despite a heavy police presence around the camp, there were no serious incidents.

Protesters are demanding that the university ditch all ties with Israel and lift a suspension against a prominent pro-Palestinian student group. The Washington Post also reported on a demonstration earlier this week at American University where students marched to the president’s office building to demand that the administration get rid of Israel.

Nationally, administrators and police on college campuses from California to Connecticut are debating how to address pro-Palestinian student protests that have led to clashes with police and hundreds of arrests.

The protests were largely inspired by the first encampments at Columbia University, which are still in their 10th day as officials try to negotiate with students to dismantle the protest before the school’s Friday deadline.

WTOP’s Kyle Cooper, Will Vitka and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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