U of Chicago releases statement about encampment after talks with protesters 'suspended'

"University leadership including academic deans worked with student designees of the protesters and faculty to explore possible paths to an agreement within the University's principles," the statement issued Sunday said in part. "All agreed to respect the confidentiality of those discussions."

The university also said there were "inaccuracies and mischaracterizations" on social media regarding the school's current policies.

"In particular, the Scholars at Risk program is an existing initiative at the University of Chicago and other leading universities and colleges. The program is open to scholars throughout the world," the statement continued. "All scholars impacted by this conflict are being encouraged to participate."

The statement went on to say that the school has not agreed to "reduce" campus security or police presence based on negotiations.

A message posted to Instagram by UChicagoUnited, an organizing group of the encampment at the University of Chicago, commented on the recent negotiations.

"They are afraid of our power," the Instagram caption reads in part.

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Another organizing group, UChicago Faculty for Justice for Palestine, said the University issued a "midnight deadline" for the dismantlement of the encampment, adding that a news conference is planned for 9:30 a.m. Monday.

A spokesperson for the University of Chicago said the school did not send communication regarding a midnight deadline.

Other college campuses in Chicago have seen similar protests, including at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where dozens of protesters over the weekend were arrested for criminal trespass to property after failing to disperse from downtown campus despite receiving several verbal warnings.

Friday, police Chicago police were called to encampments at DePaul University, standing between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine groups for hours. At that encampment, signs and chants containing antisemitic rhetoric were reported.

"We're here to support Jewish students, we're here to make sure they are safe and cared for," one speaker during the dueling protest said.

In a speech at a Holocaust Remembrance Day event over the weekend, Yinam Cohen, Consul General of Israel to the Midwest called on local leadership to address the reports of rising antisemitism as protests continue.

"Chicago, we have a problem," Cohen said. "And we can't turn a blind eye to it. Combating antisemitism is not the job of Israel or the local Jewish community. It is the responsibility of local leadership. We have the legal, educational, and political tools to combat this hate."