Students arrested during UGA protests continue to push for charges to be dropped

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Six University of Georgia students who were arrested during campus demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war earlier this year pleading their case alongside state officials to get their disciplinary charges dropped.

Those six students say they had a right to protest and none of their actions interrupted academic activities during the demonstration.

In addition to the students, the Georgia Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, alumni, Georgia elected officials, and even some university faculty will speak during a press conference Monday.

This all stems from an encampment on campus where 25 people gathered to protest against the Israel-Hamas war -- 16 of them were arrested.

Six of those students received disciplinary charges but were also suspended from the university through this semester.

The university has been standing by the suspensions. In fact, university representatives said the students were in willful violation of university policy when setting up the encampment. They said the encampments put students and professors in danger, and that students were warned to disperse.

Just last month, Atlanta News First spoke with one of the arrested students who talked about how this has impacted her life.

“I lost the chance to graduate with the class of 2024, which was hard, but I would be lying if I said I feel sorry for myself just because there are thousands of students in Gaza right now who will never live to see graduation,” said Isabelle Phillip, who was suspended by UGA over protests. “I would be a much, much less proud graduate of the University of Georgia had none of this occurred.”

During a disciplinary hearing in July, it was ruled that those students would remain on probation for the remainder of their academic careers at the university, but the students still could appeal that ruling.

WATCH ANF+ >> UGA 6 hold news conference asking UGA to drop disciplinary charges