Ohio
2 arrested at Ohio State pro-Israel event featuring IDF soldiers
Demonstrators gather at Ohio State to protest Israel-Hamas war
Several student and community groups attend a demonstration at Ohio State University Wednesday evening protesting the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Two individuals were arrested on Ohio State University’s campus April 14 during an event held by a pro-Israel student organization, the university confirmed.
The event, which was hosted at the Ohio Union by the OSU chapter of Students Supporting Israel, was part of the “Triggered: From Combat to Campus” speaking tour. The tour features Israeli Defense Forces soldiers “sharing firsthand stories from October 7th and beyond,” according to Students Supporting Israel’s website.
“The name plays on the irony of campus outrage, where many students were ‘triggered’ not by Hamas’ terror, but by Israel’s defense,” according to the website.
Two IDF soldiers were scheduled to speak at the event, held at 6 p.m. inside the Ohio Union.
In response to the event, Students for Justice in Palestine, Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine at OSU and Law Students for Justice in Palestine at Ohio State Moritz College of Law scheduled a protest.
“We vehemently oppose any attempts to commemorate or honor war criminals, in addition to any acts of normalization with the zionist entity,” an Instagram post about the protest read. “We will not stand by and allow them to be welcomed onto our campus.”
It was at this protest that two individuals were arrested, Ohio State spokesperson Dan Hedman said in a statement.
“Following multiple warnings, two individuals were arrested for criminal trespass after disrupting a scheduled event inside the Ohio Union and violating university space standards,” Hedman said.
Whether the arrested individuals are affiliated with Ohio State was not immediately available.
In 2024, more than 40 people were arrested on Ohio State’s campus during a string of anti-Israel protests in the days leading up to spring commencement. About half of those arrested individuals were affiliated with the university.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information is available.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.