Seven people, including two students, were arrested Thursday at Florida International University’s Modesto A. Maidique campus and charged with unlawful assembly, according to the university.

The people were there for an Occupy FIU event, advertised as an art and music festival. Student William Sanchez, 25, who helped put it together, said they wanted to entertain students and also inform them about issues like rising tuition and fees.

FIU spokeswoman Maydel Santana-Bravo said the arrests happened because the students were protesting without a permit.

“We asked them to stop, to move and leave. They refused,” Santana-Bravo said.

Not true, Sanchez said. Occupy FIU had an event in the same location, the Deuxieme Maison pit, in November without a permit and without a problem. They checked before Thursday with the FIU ombudsman, who again said no permit was needed for that spot.

When officers told them Thursday to go, they agreed. But an officer said they couldn’t use a microphone, so one person tried using the “people’s microphone,” which is when one person says a message out loud and others relay it.

He said, according to Sanchez, “We are moving to the DC lawn because we can’t be here. But if you are unhappy with how the school treats you, write a letter to the administration.”

That’s when the arrests started, Sanchez said.