As pro-Palestine protests continue across the United States, tensions flared at New York University (NYU), culminating in the arrest of 133 demonstrators overnight. This surge in arrests follows the detention of over 100 protesters at Columbia University last week, highlighting the ongoing escalation of these protests on American university campuses.
NYU officials stated that the situation intensified on Monday as individuals unaffiliated with the university infiltrated the protests, causing the breach of barriers erected around an encampment. The university spokesperson condemned the behavior of the demonstrators as disorderly, disruptive, and antagonistic, including instances of antisemitic incidents. Given the deteriorating situation, authorities requested assistance from the NYPD, who urged protestors to disperse before ultimately making numerous arrests.
Despite concerns about antisemitism, a NYU law student denounced the university’s actions as an excessive crackdown, allowing police to arrest students on campus grounds. The student emphasized that antisemitism is unacceptable and that many Jewish comrades were present at the protests.
In a separate incident, police arrested 60 protesters in Connecticut, including 47 students from Yale University, for refusing to leave an encampment. This adds to the growing list of prestigious institutions, including Harvard, MIT, the University of Michigan, and UC Berkeley, where pro-Palestine demonstrations have taken place.
