133 students and activists arrested at NYU campus Gaza protests

AFP , Tuesday 23 Apr 2024

More than 130 people were arrested overnight during pro-Palestinian protests at the New York University campus as student demonstrations gather pace in the United States over Israel's war on Gaza.

NYU
An officer holds a dog as NYPD officers detain pro-Palestinian students and protesters who had set up an encampment on the campus of New York University (NYU) to protest Israel s war on Gaza, in New York on April 22, 2024. AFP

 

The New York Police Department said 133 people had been arrested and released after being issued with court summons, as protests also intensify at Yale, Columbia University and other campuses.

As the holiday of Passover began Monday night, police began detaining demonstrators at an encampment at NYU.

A New York University spokesman said the decision to call police came after additional protesters, many of whom were not thought to be affiliated with NYU, breached the barriers erected around the encampment.

The protests began last week at Columbia University, also in New York, with a large group of demonstrators establishing a so-called "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on school grounds.

But more than 100 protesters were arrested after university authorities called the police onto Columbia's campus Thursday, a move that seemingly escalated tensions and sparked a greater turnout over the weekend.

Social media images late Monday appeared to show pro-Palestinian Jewish students holding traditional seder meals inside the protest areas on campuses including at Columbia.

There were also demonstrations at MIT, the University of Michigan and Yale, where at least 47 people were arrested Monday after refusing requests to disperse.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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