All charges have been dropped for 13 individuals arrested and charged with unlawful assembly and trespassing during a protest and encampment against the war in Gaza at Virginia Commonwealth University nearly a year ago.

The 26 charges were dismissed recently after the last defendant’s case was resolved last month, and followed several dismissals throughout 2024.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Collette McEachin explained the decision followed an agreement in which the defendants, including six VCU students, completed 40 hours of community service and wrote a paper on “the rights and responsibilities existing under the First Amendment.”

“My office’s general policy is to give ‘first-time offenders’ the opportunity to resolve their charges without a conviction. The defendants did not have criminal records,” McEachin said. “Once that agreement had been complied with, my office asked the court to dismiss their charges.”

The protesters, who were part of a larger group of students and residents, created an anti-war “liberation zone” with tents and other materials on the lawn outside the James Branch Cabell Library in April of last year. This protest was one of many held on campuses across the country in response to the war.

Hours after the encampment began, VCU officials declared it unlawful due to protesters setting up structures on the lawn and ordered them to disperse. Campus, city and state police then used tear gas, riot shields and more to remove protesters and dismantled the encampment.

Further protests, including student walkouts and marches, have been held since, with some focusing on the arrests and charges. Many of these protests have called for an end to the war, expressed solidarity with Palestinians affected or killed during the conflict, and urged the school to disclose, divest from, or end any partnerships, or support linked to the Israeli government.

Sereen Haddad, a Palestinian VCU student who was part of the encampment and has organized several protests since, was glad to see the charges dismissed and cited community outcry as a major part in the outcome.

Haddad also was concerned about the potential precedent these arrests could have for activism of all kinds in the future, particularly given how universities and the federal government have continued to respond to the protests.

Despite these concerns, Haddad remains committed to her activism and encouraged others to continue their efforts.

“If they think that these kinds of tactics are going to deter us or going to make us want to stop standing up against these injustices, they’re very wrong,” Haddad said.