Student Protests Spread to Other Campuses Across America

Dozens of people were arrested at New York University and Yale on Monday, as pro-Palestinian protests have swept college campuses across the country.

It came after more than 100 pro-Palestinian students who remained in a protest encampment on Columbia University's main lawn were arrested last week.

In the days since, encampments have popped up at other universities in solidarity with the Columbia students, including at some of the country's most prestigious institutions.

Pro-Palestinian students are demanding a ceasefire in Israel's war in Gaza and for their schools to divest from companies that do business with Israel. Some Jewish students say they have faced harassment and antisemitic comments that made them feel unsafe.

University officials are now facing the challenge of defusing tensions, while striking a balance between students' right to protest and campus safety.

Protests have roiled college campuses in the U.S. since Hamas' October 7 attack on southern Israel, when 1,200 people were killed and about 250 others were taken hostage. In the months since, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza, with at least two-thirds of the dead women and children, The Associated Press reported, citing the local health ministry.

Columbia University

The protest encampment was erected at Columbia on Wednesday, the same day that University President Nemat Minouche Shafik came under fire from Republicans who accused her of not doing enough to fight antisemitism on campus.

She called in New York police to clear the encampment on Thursday, saying she had taken the "extraordinary" step after student protesters ignored repeated demands to leave. More than 100 students arrested were charged with trespassing and the university said they have been suspended.

But the protest has continued, with some participants putting up tents on Columbia's green again over the weekend.

There were reports of antisemitic incidents amid the protests, but the student coalition behind the encampment said they were "frustrated by media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us."

In-person classes were canceled on Monday, with Shafik saying in a message to the Columbia community that the move was made to "deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps."

Shafik also said that the tensions at the university "have been exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia who have come to campus to pursue their own agendas."

She did not say when in-person classes would resume, but said that over the coming days, a working group of deans, school administrators and faculty will try to find a resolution to the crisis.

Yale University

Police officers arrested pro-Palestinian protesters in an encampment on the prestigious university's campus early Monday.

They had set up tents on Beinecke Plaza on Friday and protested over the weekend, urging Yale to end any investments in defense companies that do business with Israel.

New Haven police said they had assisted the Yale Police Department with arrests. About 45 protesters were charged with criminal trespass, the department said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

About 200 protesters returned to block a street near campus at about 8 a.m., police said. There were no reports of any violence or injuries.

In a message to the Yale community on Monday, Yale President Peter Salovey said before police moved in the student protesters had been repeatedly warned that they were violating the school's policies and state laws and that any who remained could face arrest and disciplinary action.

There had been police reports "identifying harmful acts and threatening language used against individuals at or near the protest sites," Salovey said. "Some of the aggressors are believed to be members of the Yale community while others were outsiders. We will not tolerate such behavior nor any open violation of Yale policies that interrupts academic and campus operations."

The protest organizers said on Instagram on Monday that "with no warning of when they would come, police ambushed us at 6:40 a.m. while students at the encampment were sleeping."

They added: "Yale, you have intimidated us, criminalized us, militarized our campus, and failed to accept our demands. We will not stop, we will not rest until we have disclosure and divestment."

New York University

Arrests were made at New York University late Monday after an encampment set up by students grew to hundreds of protesters.

NYU spokesperson John Beckman said barriers were erected on the plaza outside its business school after about 50 protesters began demonstrating there "without notice to the University, and without authorization."

The university "was deeply disturbed," Beckman said in a statement, when "additional protesters, many of whom we believe were not affiliated with NYU, suddenly breached the barriers" to join others already on the plaza.

Beckman said police were called after the scene became disorderly and the university learned of reports about "intimidating chants and several antisemitic incidents."

"We will continue to support individuals' right to freedom of expression, and, as we have said since October, the safety of our students and maintaining an equitable learning environment remain paramount," Beckman said.

The arrests included members of the NYU faculty, CNN reported.

The NYU Faculty for Justice in Palestine said on X that "NYU has authorized NYPD to arrest its own students, faculty, staff and anyone who dares to stand in solidarity with Palestine."

Harvard University

Harvard University is apparently hoping to avoid protests or an encampment by restricting access to Harvard Yard, the heart of the university's campus.

A sign displayed on Monday said structures, including tents and tables, were only allowed into the yard with prior permission, The Associated Press reported.

"Students violating these policies are subject to disciplinary action," the sign said.

Meanwhile, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee said the university's administration has suspended the group.

It was ordered to "cease all organizational activities for the remainder of the Spring 2024 term" or risk permanent expulsion, The Harvard Crimson student newspaper reported.

The university said the group had violated school policy by failing to register its April 19 demonstration and by violating guidelines about responsible use of space, the Crimson reported.

"You can suspend our organization and threaten out students, But you will never silence our calls for divestment from apartheid, occupation and genocide," the group said in a statement posted on X.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Students have set up an encampment on the school's campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

They want the school to cut its research ties with the Israeli military.

"MIT has received OVER $11 MILLION in research funding from the Ministry of Defense of Israel since 2015," protesters said in a statement. "Today, we say that we REFUSE to give out labor to genocide. We REFUSE to make space on this campus for genocide. We will NOT REST until MIT cuts research ties with the Israeli military."

University of Michigan

About 40 student protesters set up an encampment at the University of Michigan on Monday.

Shreya Chowdhary, a graduate student, told the Michigan Daily that the encampment was inspired by the events at other universities across the country.

"It is a national movement that we're participating in to demonstrate that students across the United States are not going to stand for our universities funding genocide and profiteering from genocide," Chowdhary said.

A university spokesperson told the newspaper that the university supports the right to peaceful protest and is working to maintain a safe campus environment.

"We are carefully monitoring the situation and remain prepared to appropriately address any harassment or threats against any member of our community," the spokesperson said.

University of California, Berkeley

Students at UC Berkeley erected dozens of tents in front of Sproul Hall on Monday and pledged to stay until the school divests from companies that aid Israel in its war in Gaza.

UC Berkeley has issued a statement saying it has no plans to change its investment policies, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"We will take the steps necessary to ensure the protest does not disrupt the university's operations," the statement said. "With three weeks left in the semester, Berkeley is prioritizing students' academic interests."

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt

The university announced on Monday that its campus is closed through Wednesday after protesters occupied Siemens Hall on the campus.

Hundreds of people were in the hall on Monday night and its front entrance appeared to have been barricaded by furniture, KRCR-TV reported.

"The University is deeply concerned about the safety of the protestors who have barricaded themselves inside the building," the university said in a statement posted on its website. "The University is urgently asking that the protestors listen to directives from law enforcement that have responded and to peacefully leave the building."

The statement advised the campus community to avoid the area of the building "as it is a dangerous and volatile situation."