DOZENS of arrests have been made in the United States as protests against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza spread across a number of top universities.
More than 100 pro-Palestine demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia’s green were arrested last week, and similar encampments have sprouted up at other universities across the US.
At New York University, an encampment set up by students swelled to hundreds of protesters throughout the day on Monday.
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The university said it had asked the crowd to leave, then called in police after the scene became disorderly and the university said it had learned of reports of “intimidating chants and several antisemitic incidents”.
Police started to make arrests shortly after 8.30pm – a move which has been met with anger from a number of students.
New York University law student Byul Yoon said: “It’s a really outrageous crackdown by the university to allow the police to arrests students on our own campus”.
The student added: “Antisemitism is never OK. That’s absolutely not what we stand for and that’s why there are so any Jewish comrades that are here with us today.”
Pro-Palestine demonstrators have demanded their schools condemn Israel’s assault on Gaza and divest from companies that sell weapons to Israel.
Similar action has been taken at Scottish universities, including in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Tensions remained high at Columbia, where the campus gates were locked to anyone without a school ID and where protests broke out both on campus and outside.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, around 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.
Columbia announced on Monday that courses at the Morningside campus would offer virtual options for students where possible, citing safety as their top priority.
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University president Minouche Shafik said in a message to the school community that she was “deeply saddened” by what was happening on campus.
“To de-escalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday,” Shafik wrote, noting that students who did not live on campus should stay away.
In Massachusetts, a sign said Harvard Yard was closed to the public on Monday. It said structures, including tents and tables, were only allowed into the yard with prior permission. “Students violating these policies are subject to disciplinary action,” the sign said.
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The same day, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee said the university’s administration had suspended their group.
At Yale, in Connecticut, police officers arrested about 45 protesters and charged them with misdemeanor trespassing, a New Haven police spokesperson said. All were being released on promises to appear in court later, he said.
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