Atlanta, GA – The 23 pro-Palestine protesters who were arrested Thursday morning at Emory’s campus and held in Dekalb County Jail were finally released Friday evening. The arrests came after Atlanta Police Department (APD) and Georgia State Patrol (GSP) attacked and arrested protesters who were demanding Emory University divest from Israeli occupation of Palestine.

“What happened to us at Emory and the 36 hours that followed was a demonstration of the lengths this country’s ruling class will go to support Zionism and repress solidarity with national liberation movements,” said Alex Carson, one of the arrested Emory protesters. “We have committed no crimes. In the eyes of the state, we are enemies because we support Palestine and their resistance while opposing the U.S.-backed Israeli occupation and genocide.”

Despite the police’s attempt to prevent students and community members from protesting and occupying the Emory quad, protesters continued to organize on campus. Students were able to take over the Rita Ann Rollins building and Cox Hall while facing brutal repression after the arrests in the morning.

“Repression breeds resistance and all of you are living proof of this. As we were held in jail, news of a renewed protest and encampment reached us and raised all of our spirits immensely. Your work gave us heart and demonstrated that our sacrifice was a small price to pay in order to further this movement and land real blows against the enemy,” said the Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression in a written statement. Two of the protesters who were arrested were members of the Atlanta Alliance.

Speaking on the inhumane conditions at the DeKalb County Jail, Alex Carson said: “From being deprived the use of bathrooms and water to being dehumanized by jail guards, we were all constantly thinking of and discussing the conditions Palestinians must face when they are kidnapped from their homes and taken into IOF prisons.”

“I want everyone to remember what this was about, why we’re out there, to keep all eyes on Palestine, all eyes on Gaza and not let this pull focus away from why we were out there. Keep pressure on Emory, keep pressure on the Atlanta city government,” said Jaanaki Radhakrishnan, another protester who was arrested at Emory. “We didn’t take these risks for everyone to forget why we came out here. Give Emory hell. This is a pattern that cannot be allowed to continue. This is all of our freedom at stake.”

The Emory protesters are making moves to organize and fight the charges against them.

“As we monitor and support the ongoing protests and encampments on campuses, we also look forward to fighting our alleged charges alongside other members of the Emory 23 and beating them,” the Atlanta Alliance statement continued. “We want to be very clear: Protesting is not a crime, and it is right to oppose genocide. It is right to oppose our racist imperialist government by any means.”

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