Amidst a surge of pro-Palestine demonstrations across college campuses, New York University (NYU) and Yale University have witnessed arrests of over 150 individuals. The protests have been fueled by demands for universities to divest from companies that engage in arms sales to Israel.
Despite warnings of consequences, protestors gathered on Gould Plaza on NYU’s Manhattan campus on Monday, leading to arrests. Similar events unfolded at Yale University in Connecticut, where police intervention resulted in the arrest of nearly 50 individuals.
The demonstrations are part of a broader wave of pro-Palestine protests taking place across the United States in response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Protestors have established encampments at several institutions, including Columbia University, Tufts University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Emerson College, Boston University, the University of California Berkeley, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The protests gained momentum at Columbia University last week, where over 100 individuals, including students, were arrested. Demonstrators have demanded the university divest from entities they deem complicit in genocide. Hundreds of faculty members have expressed their support for the protests, resulting in a walkout against the university president’s handling of the situation.
Isra Hirsi, daughter of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, was among those arrested at Columbia University and subsequently suspended. She denounced the university’s actions, emphasizing her solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide. She asserted that protestors would remain resolute in their demands for divestment, transparency, and amnesty for students facing repression.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) reported that 108 individuals, including Ms. Hirsi, were charged with trespassing at Columbia. Two additional individuals faced charges of obstructing government administration. In the aftermath of the protests, Columbia University canceled in-person classes to facilitate a reset and de-escalation of tensions.
Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry of the NYPD’s operations division acknowledged a pattern of campus occupations in defiance of university policies. He assured that the NYPD would address such actions deemed illegal and prohibited.
Meanwhile, some Jewish students have raised concerns about antisemitic harassment and physical assaults during the protests. A Jewish student at Columbia University recounted being told to return to Poland by protestors upon displaying Israeli and American flags. Another student at Yale covering the protests as a student journalist reported being struck in the eye with a Palestinian flag, resulting in a visit to the hospital. Yale University is investigating the incident.
The ongoing protests reflect the growing activism on college campuses in response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Universities have become focal points for students and faculty to express their support for Palestine and demand accountability from institutions they believe are complicit in human rights violations.
