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ST. LOUIS 鈥� Washington University students say they were told to leave the university鈥檚 campus Monday after working on a collaborative art piece that included pro-Palestine messages.

Max Schreiber, a junior studying studio art, said university officials approached him and about 40 others at WashU鈥檚 Tisch Park near Skinker Boulevard and told him to take his sculpture elsewhere because it violated a university policy about installing structures on campus.

Schreiber had made a 鈥渢ent鈥� out of canvas and wood. He and a few friends carried it to Tisch Park around 11 a.m. Monday where they and other participants painted on it. Many wore keffiyehs, or traditional Palestinian scarves.

On the tent, students painted the flag of Palestine, a peace sign, flowers and slices of watermelon, a pro-Palestinian symbol. They also wrote on the tent 鈥渁bolish WUPD鈥� (the university police department), 鈥渓ong live the student intifada,鈥� and 鈥渇rom the river to the sea,鈥� a phrase interpreted as antisemitic .

Julie Flory, vice chancellor for marketing and communications for WashU, said university requires prior approval for any tents or temporary structures.

鈥淭he student did not have prior approval for this structure, so they were advised to remove it, which they did,鈥� Flory said in an email. 鈥淭here was no need for police to respond.鈥�

Schreiber acknowledged his art piece may have violated university policy. But he said other students have done performance pieces or placed public art in Tisch Park with no issue. One art student put a couch there last semester with no trouble, he said.

鈥淚 put up a sculpture last semester in the exact same spot and no one said anything,鈥� Schreiber said. 鈥淚t was fine because it didn鈥檛 say 鈥楶alestine.鈥欌��

About 10 minutes after they arrived, Schreiber said, two officers with the university鈥檚 campus police department arrived as he painted a white base layer on the tent. The officers said nothing and left a few minutes later, Schreiber said.

Soon after, Schreiber and senior Kyra Sorkin said staff from the Office of Residential Life told them the sculpture violated a university policy against installing structures on campus. So, for about an hour, they held the tent sculpture off the ground.

It didn鈥檛 work. Two staffers from the nearby Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts later told them to either take the sculpture to Schreiber鈥檚 studio or go across the street to Forest Park, unless things would 鈥渆scalate鈥� to the point of police involvement.

鈥淲UPD has a track record on this campus,鈥� one of the staffers told Schreiber and Sorkin, according to a recording of the conversation. 鈥淚 wanted to make sure that you all came out and knew that we are at a pivot point, so you all can make the conscious decision of how far you鈥檙e willing to go.鈥�

The staffer said they supported the students but 鈥渢his institution is going to be who they are,鈥� a nod to a demonstration last year that led to mass arrests.

Last April in Tisch Park, a pro-Palestine demonstration led to the arrests of 100 people after demonstrators ignored multiple orders to leave. Seventy of the arrestees were university outsiders.

The fallout of the demonstration interested Schreiber, who is Jewish and a member of the group WashU Jewish Students for Palestine.

A 鈥渃ulture of fear鈥� has developed where students are afraid to speak their opinions about the war in Gaza, he said. He wanted to make the conversation in public.

鈥淚t showed how WashU feels about free expression,鈥� Schreiber said. 鈥淚 walked in and painted a triangle white, and that was enough to send in cops.鈥�

Schreiber moved his sculpture across the street to the intersection of Skinker and Lindell boulevards, where he and a group of about 20 other people stayed until about 4 p.m.