An Arizona State University (ASU) theater student complained to local news that her arrest for unlawful protesting resulted in a suspension that caused her to miss finals and rendered her unable to graduate.
21-year-old ASU senior Breanna Brocker — a technical assistant with ASU Gammage majoring in theater design and production — was arrested for unlawful encampment as a form of protest against Israeli conflict with Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Brocker was among 20 students arrested for unlawful protesting.
The 20 arrested students filed a lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents in the Arizona District Court for an injunction to lift their suspension, Campos v. Arizona Board of Regents, but were denied earlier this week. In a viral post-court interview, Brocker expressed shock that she was being punished for breaking university policy.
“I’m being restricted from a lot of things right now that I didn’t expect to be for standing up for something that I believe in. I have family coming in who I have to let them know to not come to my graduation ceremonies. I am glad that there is a guarantee that my courses will be taken care of, so I don’t have to worry necessarily about my graduation requirements and the fact that I will earn my degree, as I have spent the past four years doing, but I’m just disappointed. I’m a 2020 high school grad, so I wasn’t able to walk then, so you know, I’m not able to walk now.”
When asked whether she would have protested by encampment, knowing the consequences, Brocker said she would do it again.
ASU senior starts crying after she finds out that she won't be able to graduate after she got arrested for protesting on campus.
Breanna Brocker tells @bdbrown473 that she won't be graduating because her suspension means she will miss her finals.
"I'm a little disappointed. I'm… pic.twitter.com/RyQWxjfUAq
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 5, 2024
Brocker also appears to subscribe to transgender ideology: she goes by “she/they” pronouns, according to a February playbill for an ASU production of “Clue.” Both of her parents have displayed Pride flags in their profile pictures in celebration of Pride Month; Brocker’s mother, Heather, is an educator with Deer Valley Unified School District.
Brocker was one of nearly 3,500 individuals to sign onto the “Theater Workers for a Ceasefire” petition released in March demanding an immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire; an end to the siege and blockade of gaza and an immediate delivery of aid; an end to U.S. aid and intervention in the Israel-Hamas conflict; an end to Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and Palestine; and establishment of the right of Palestinians to self-determination, and the right of return.
That activist group also called for theater-affiliated individuals to engage in public mobilizations and demonstrations, as well as wear keffiyehs and pins in support of Gaza.
Our statement—with over 100 theater workers calling for a comprehensive ceasefire in Palestine—is public as of today. Please sign and share. We fight repression with solidarity and idleness with action!https://t.co/RTEnbem6Cv pic.twitter.com/3Y8HKWN2SC
— Theater Workers for a Ceasefire (@theaterworkers) March 20, 2024
As ASU noted in a press release, ASU police arrested 72 individuals for trespassing after setting up an unlawful encampment. Of those 72 arrested, only 20 were identified as students.
“The April 26 encampment was more than a protest. There were multiple violations of university or ABOR policy including tents, overnight presence, creating a university disturbance and being in a reservable space that wasn’t reserved by ASU students, per policy. The unlawful assembly remained well past the 11 p.m. cutoff time established by policy.”
The students were represented in court by Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) attorney David Chami.
CAIR is widely acknowledged as a terrorist front group; the organization has been repeatedly identified as a conspirator for Hamas.
In addition to Brocker, the other ASU students to sue the university were Zahra Alam, Autumn Byars, Aida Esmeralda Campos, Michael Phillips Clancy, Emma Davis, Rebecca Huang, Salem Jabaieh, Fatima Jabardi, Beldaja Jama, Michaela Koert, Rachel Lim, Jose Maciel, Guadalupe Chavez Morales, Amy O’Neill, Noor Odeh, Nolan Quinn, Ian Sherwood, Harry Smith, and Mya Vallejo.
The students complained that their arrests were witnessed by nearby fraternity members who were “partying, drinking, and videoing” their arrests. Those fraternity members were also assisting in the cleanup of the protestors’ unlawful encampment equipment and other littered items.
“ASU chose to arrest and discipline the protestors instead of the bystanders, demonstrating the targeted nature of ASU’s actions,” said the lawsuit.
Dozens of extremists were arrested at Arizona State @ASU on April 27 at the illegal encampment for Gaza. Administrators say most were not students nor faculty.
Ian Sherwood
Hady Aziz
Josef Britton
Fahim Saadat pic.twitter.com/SBeAIaC4jN— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 28, 2024