Police Arrest 13 Protesters Who Occupied Stanford President’s Office

Police officers arrested 13 pro-Palestinian protesters on Wednesday who had barricaded themselves in the office of the president of Stanford University and demanded that administrators meet several demands, including a vote by the university trustees on whether to divest from companies that are said to support Israel’s military.

The administration offices, located in Building 10, were cleared within about three hours, according to Dee Mostofi, a campus spokeswoman, who said that there was “extensive damage.” Several walls and pillars on the exterior were covered in graffiti that criticized the police, Stanford and Israel.

The protesters had entered the building around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and university police officers arrived at the scene after they were alerted of the occupation, according to Ms. Mostofi. The building houses the offices of the university’s president, Richard Saller, and provost, Jenny Martinez, among others.

Wednesday is the final day of classes for the spring quarter at Stanford. An encampment that Pro-Palestinian protesters established in late April remains on a campus quad.

The group of protesters, which calls itself the People’s University for Palestine encampment, said in a statement that its members intended to remain in Building 10 until the university met several demands. The group called on the Stanford Board of Trustees to consider next week whether to divest from companies — including Hewlett-Packard, Lockheed Martin and Chevron — that the protesters say provide material and logistical support to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

The protesters also demanded that Dr. Saller support the divestment proposal, disclose all of the holdings in Stanford’s endowment and drop all disciplinary measures against Pro-Palestinian student activists.