Students from several universities in the Washington Metropolitan Area have joined forces to demand their schools cut ties to Israel and for an end to Israel’s assault on Gaza.

Yasmine, a student leading the protests that have grown into an encampment, says they are calling for their universities to “divest from any companies that sell weapons or technology” to Israel.

They are also calling on their universities to drop all charges against students “who spoke up or students who are pro-Palestine”, Yasmine told Al Jazeera.

“Many of us are […] facing repression and charges and hearings from our universities for simply protesting,” she said.

Many of the protesters, she added, wear masks because of the “heavy targeting and the heavy doxing […] against us”.

Students do expect the police to intervene later today in a bid to break up the gathering, according to Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, DC.