Several students and faculty at New York University were arrested hours after officials had told assembled pro-Palestinian protesters to disperse.
The protesters assembled at Gould Plaza outside of the University’s Stern School of Business had been told by the university to disperse by 4 p.m., citing safety and security concerns. Police began to move in on protesters just after 8:15 p.m., according to CBS New York.
#BREAKING Clashes and battles over tents – MASS ARRESTS at the NYU, ‘Liberated Zone’ encampment tents REMOVED as massive ammount of police continues to clear out the protesters.
This is happening right now.
Video by @yyeeaahhhboiii2 [email protected] to license pic.twitter.com/qkUP5w22SW— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) April 23, 2024
NYU announced the protests would be dispersed earlier on Monday, accusing protesters of violating their conditions of allowing the assembled protesters to remain in the plaza if no additional protesters joined the demonstration.
“With the breach of the barricades early this afternoon, that requirement was violated, and we witnessed disorderly, disruptive, and antagonizing behavior that has interfered with the safety and security of our community,” the school said in a post on X. “We cannot tolerate people getting hurt.”
The dispersed protests at NYU come as pro-Palestinian protests across town at Columbia University have garnered national attention. The demonstrations at Columbia have been criticized for being hostile to Jewish students, with several politicians calling for Columbia President Minouche Shafik to resign for failing to ensure “students have a safe learning environment.”
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As protests continue to rage at Columbia, the university announced late Monday that its main campus classes will be hybrid through the end of the semester, which ends later this month. The school had made classes virtual on Monday, which also marked the Jewish holiday of Passover.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the New York Police Department for additional information about the NYU protests.