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At least 13 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested at Stanford University early Wednesday morning after briefly barricading themselves in the president's office.

The demonstrators broke into Building 10, which houses the offices of the president and provost, at around 5:30 am, demanding that the California school divest from companies connected to Israel, and called for transparency and amnesty. A group of 50 protesters were outside the building chanting, "Free, Free Palestine".

Around three hours after the protesters took over the building, they were cleared by campus police and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, according to Dee Mostofi, the university spokeswoman.

Shortly after the arrests, law enforcement officers started dismantling a pro-Palestinian encampment that had been on a campus plaza since late April, along with a nearby pro-Israel display.

All arrested students will be immediately suspended, and if any of them are seniors, they "will not be allowed to graduate", said school officials.

It wasn't immediately clear whether "will not be allowed to graduate" indicated that students would be prohibited from participating in commencement ceremonies or expelled from the school without receiving their diplomas.

There was extensive damage to the interior of Building 10 and the exterior of the buildings in the main quad, Mostofi said.

The damage included "extensive graffiti vandalism on the sandstone buildings and columns of the main quad", she said in a statement, adding that it conveyed "vile and hateful sentiments that we condemn in the strongest terms".

The building had been renamed to "D. Adnan's office" in honor of Adnan al-Bursh, a Palestinian surgeon who died in April in an Israeli detention facility.

The protesters vowed to remain inside the building and refused to leave until their demands were met, according to the group's statement.

They wanted Stanford officials to include a vote by university trustees on whether to divest from companies "that provide material and logistical support to Israel's current military campaign".

They also demanded that the president of Stanford, Richard Saller, support the divestment proposal, disclose all holdings in Stanford's endowment and drop all disciplinary measures against pro-Palestinian student activists.

"If these demands are met, we will leave your office, President Saller," said an activist as she sat at a wooden desk inside the building, in a video posted on Instagram.

Officials said a public safety officer was injured after being shoved by protesters who interfered with a transport vehicle.

In April, 18 protesters were arrested at the university.

Wednesday was the last day of classes for the spring term. The upcoming graduation ceremony is set for June 15-16.

College students across the nation staged campus protests this spring, demanding that their schools withdraw any investments they say are helping Israeli forces in their military operations in the Gaza Strip.

During the current graduation season, several school commencement ceremonies were either canceled or relocated due to campus protests.

No school has agreed to divest financial connections to Israel. At Brown University in Rhode Island and at the New School in New York City, officials said they will discuss voting on the issue.

Agencies contributed to this story.