Protests over the war in Gaza have taken hold at a handful of elite US universities as officials scramble to defuse demonstrations. Police moved to break up an encampment at New York University (NYU) on Monday night, making a number of arrests. Dozens of students were arrested at Yale earlier in the day, while Columbia University canceled in-person classes. The wave of demos has been marred by alleged antisemitic incidents, which the White House has condemned.
Demonstrations and heated debates about the Israel-Gaza war and free speech have rocked US campuses since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, which prompted Israel's campaign in Gaza.
In the US, students on both sides say there has been a rise in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since then.
President Joe Biden has condemned both "the antisemitic protests" and "those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians" when asked about the rallies that occurred on Monday. The White House has also spoken out against anti-Jewish hate at the protests. In addition, the PEN America awards have been called off after writers boycotted Gaza. The protest movement gained attention after New York City police arrested more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia's campus last week. Since then, rallies have spread to other universities, including NYU, Yale, the University of California at Berkeley, MIT, the University of Michigan, Emerson College, and Tufts.
Like their peers, the NYU protesters are calling on their institution to disclose and divest its "finances and endowments from weapons manufacturers and companies with an interest in the Israeli occupation".
One student, Alejandro Tanon told the AFP news agency that the US was at a "critical moment", likening the protests to historic demonstrations over the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa.
"We stand with Palestine and we stand with the liberation of all people," one protester told the BBC's US partner CBS News.
Meanwhile, another who stood across the street with an Israeli flag said: "There's one side here and one side of history. This is the right side here."
NYU said 50 people were involved in the main encampment outside the business school. It described the protest as unauthorized, saying this disrupted classes.
Police started arresting them on Monday evening; they have not provided a number.
Hours before, nearly 50 protesters were arrested at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Authorities said hundreds of people had gathered; many of them refusing requests to leave.
There was chaos at US colleges recently, as two opposing sides refused to back down. Dr. Minouche Shafik, the head of Columbia University, asked students not to come to campus on Monday. She cited incidents of "intimidating and harassing behavior" that had taken place. Instead, classes were held online. Dr. Shafik explained that tensions on campus had been "exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia." These people had come to campus with their own agendas.
Authorities at NYU have reported that protesters without any affiliation to the university had shown up, and they also reported antisemitic incidents on Monday, the first day of the Jewish holiday of Passover. This is just the latest institution to report such incidents. Recently, videos posted online have shown some protesters near Columbia expressing support for the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel. Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Manning, who toured Columbia on Monday, has confirmed that she saw protesters there calling for Israel's destruction. The Hasidic group Chabad at Columbia University has reported that Jewish students were subject to harmful rhetoric and were screamed at. Additionally, a rabbi affiliated with the university reportedly warned Jewish students to avoid campus until the situation improves.
