ST. LOUIS – Washington University students, alumni, and faculty held a news conference to discuss the protest of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Demonstrators are planning a protest at Saint Louis University Wednesday.

The group held their conference across the street from the campus, just days after police arrested 100 people. 

“What happened Saturday was shameful. It demonstrated once again that police officers are only equipped to apply force to reach a resolution,” Megan Green, Board of Alderman president, said.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said no charges have been filed against any of the people arrested over the weekend.

One of the key points being addressed in Saturday’s protest is student safety. A statement from Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin said they received calls from students who felt threatened, but that is something protestors say isn’t true.

“The claim of safety is being used by universities all over the country, even as they call in very violent police reactions at Columbia—actually, armed reactions. So, the claim of safety is completely spurious; we have many anti-Zionist Jewish students in the movement,” Angela Miller, a suspended professor, said.

Chancellor Martin said there were chants Saturday that many found threatening, rooted in Hamas ideology “from the river to the sea.”

“The language is so vitriolic, and it is reminiscent of, you know, back in the 30s and we’re sensitive to that as a Jewish people because we’ve been through this…It is threatening; it is scary. Many feel like they just can’t focus on their studies,” Karen Sher, vice president of the Community Impact Jewish Federation, said.

She said there are thousands of Jewish families on edge in the community, especially with plans of another protest in the area at Saint Louis University. 

“I would hope is that what Wash U has done, other schools will follow that lead because I think they’ve handled it really, really well,” Sher said.