Michigan police clear pro-Palestinian encampment

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Police broke up a pro-Palestinian encampment Tuesday at the University of Michigan (UM).

Tents had been set up in The Diag since late April as the area is known for decades as a site for campus protests.

On Tuesday morning, officers wearing helmets with face shields moved in before sunrise to clear area. Afterwards, nearby campus buildings were closed and police turned away students who showed up to study.

UM President Santa Ono said, in a statement, that the encampment had become a threat to safety and organizers had refused to comply with requests to make changes following an inspection by a fire marshal.

Ono added that there had been a series of troubling events centered on the encampment.

Less than a week ago, demonstrators showed up at the home of a UM school official and placed fake body bags on her lawn.