Ohio State University police officers arrested two people who protested an event Tuesday that invited Israeli soldiers to speak on campus.
University spokesperson Dan Hedman confirmed the arrests in a statement to WOSU. The event took place in a meeting room at the Ohio Union at 6 p.m. and was organized by Students Supporting Israel at OSU.
The event was called "Triggered The Ceaseless Tour." The event was advertised as featuring Israel Defense Forces Reservists who shared firsthand experiences following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Hedman didn't immediately confirm the identities of the two people arrested or whether the pair were students or otherwise affiliated with Ohio State.
OSU said the two people are charged with criminal trespassing.
"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.
Hedman explained the group was deemed disruptive and in violation of the university's space rules, because this was an indoor event and the group was asked to quiet down multiple times, but did not.
Students Supporting Israel didn't identify the soldiers who were invited.
The group Students for Justice in Palestine posted on Instagram that "mass arrests" were happening. The group posted Monday about plans to protest the event, calling the two soldiers "war criminals."
Students for Justice in Palestine identified the two soldiers as Yossi Hertz and Lior Biran and accused them of taking part in genocide when Israel began bombing the Gaza Strip, killing tens of thousands of civilians in retaliation for the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
University officials didn't immediately respond to questions about why university officials allowed this event to occur.
Ohio State police have repeatedly arrested students supporting Palestinians as Israel's war against Hamas continues. Israel and Hamas haven't ceased hostilities, but Israel has expanded conflict in the Middle East by attacking Iran and Lebanon.
OSU police officers arrested dozens of students at a single protest in 2024, citing its "space rules."
The charges were later dismissed by the Columbus City Attorney's office.
