Protesters were arrested at both NYU and Yale on Monday for refusing to end their unauthorized protest. In fact, Columbia’s auditoriums and classrooms remained closed. The university had asked students to stay home because of the protests and switched to online education until the end of the semester, according to CNN.
“We have witnessed inflammatory, disruptive and hostile behavior that has jeopardized the safety of our community,” said NYU spokesman John Beckman, who also reported “anti-Semitic incidents.” Police arrested more than 130 protesters at New York University, American media reported. Sixty demonstrators have been arrested at Yale University in the state of Connecticut.
The wave of protests started last Thursday at Columbia University in New York. A tent camp was cleared there and about a hundred participants arrested. However, the protests continued and subsequently spread to other universities.
The demonstrators call for solidarity with Palestinians and demand that their universities cut financial ties with Israel. However, during the protests, intimidating songs are also sung and various anti-Semitic incidents are reported. Jewish students have already expressed concerns about their safety. President Joe Biden also condemned “the anti-Semitic protests.”
According to The Washington Post the demonstrations are not only limited to these three universities, but protest actions also take place at other institutions.
The unrest also comes at a sensitive time politically. The US is holding presidential elections this year that could end in a neck-and-neck race. Some voters have already used the Democratic primaries to cast protest votes against President Biden. They express their dissatisfaction with how the Democrat is dealing with the war in Gaza, where Israel is trying to eliminate Hamas.
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