FIRST IT WAS COLUMBIA, NOW NYPD COPS STORM NYU

Anti-Israel protesters armed with flares march toward NYPD headquarters after cops in riot gear stormed NYU to shutdown 'Gaza Solidarity' camp - arresting dozens of students and faculty

Riot gear-clad NYPD officers used zip ties to arrest numerous NYU student and faculty protesters, leading them to police buses after warning them to disperse

 

By James Gordon  

 

Daily Mail

Apr 22, 22024

 

Police intervene and arrested more than 100 students at New York University on Monday night

  

(BGB EDITOR'S COMMENT: Back in my time, we wouldn't have put up with this crap. A few cracked heads from police batons would have quickly ended the protest. It's a dirty rotten shame that the NYU and Columbia students and faculty who were arrested were not jailed, as they were only issued a summons and released after arriving at the police station. A few days on Rikers Island would have done both the protesters and society a world of good.)

 

Anti-Israel protestors armed with flares marched toward NYPD headquarters just hours after riot-gear-wearing officers stormed an NYU protest 'Gaza Solidarity' encampment protest on Monday night, arresting dozens of faculty and staff members. 

The streets were lit up in orange as marchers waved Palestinians flags while holding flares in the air and banging a drum walking through Chinatown to reach One Police Plaza in New York City.

Earlier on the NYU campus in Greenwich Village, police officers in riot gear were forced to use zip ties to detain protesters, marching them onto police buses after warnings to leave the area were ignored. 

The protest, involving hundreds, began at 6am with a group setting up tents at NYU's Gould Plaza demanding the university divest from any Israel-related holdings. It was done in solidarity with similar protests at other campuses, including Columbia University.

The number of participants at the NYU protest grew throughout the day on Monday with hundreds of anti-Israel activists gathered by nightfall - all ignoring pleas by university staff and security to leave.

 

Anti-Israel protestors armed with flares marched toward NYPD headquarters just hours after riot-gear-wearing officers stormed an NYU protest

The streets were lit up in orange as marchers waved Palestinians flags while holding flares in the air and banging a drum walking through Chinatown

The marchers made their way to reach One Police Plaza in New York City 

Palestinian flags could also be seen being waved in the air alongside flags 

Police finally made their move on the pro-Palestinian protestors at NYU after hours of warnings telling people to disperse from the Gaza Solidarity' encampment

Officers clad in riot gear used zip ties to detain protesters, marching them onto police buses after warnings to leave the area were ignored

NYPD in riot gear set about moving student from NYU's Gould Plaza 

In a statement on Instagram on Monday, New York University officials warned protesters to clear the plaza by 4pm or face consequences. Mass arrests began around 8:30pm

 

It culminated in clashes with law enforcement - after the university requested officers break up the protest. Videos captured the shocking moment cops flooded the protest, tipping tents and making arrests as protestors carried Palestine flags and chanted.

Students could be seen gathering at the steps outside of NYU's Stern School of Business earlier and appeared to be joined by some faculty members. 

Some protesters could be heard chanting, 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' - a slogan that many regard as a call to genocide. 

Others could be seen stepping on Israel's flag. 

NYU's head of security said that administrators 'witnessed disorderly, disruptive and antagonizing behavior that has interfered with the safety and security of our community.'

The NYPD could be heard using a megaphone telling students: 'You have been warned by New York University to leave the area.' 

Those who did not leave soon, would be arrested for trespassing, NYPD said.

In a statement on Instagram on Monday, New York University officials warned protesters to clear the plaza by 4pm or face consequences. Mass arrests began around 8:30pm. 

NYU's Global Campus Safety posted on Instagram that protesters had breached the barriers set up at Gould Plaza, Fountain Walker.

'The one safety requirement we made was that no additional protestors could enter Gould Plaza. 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 university said in a statement.

'We cannot tolerate people getting hurt. You will need to clear the plaza by 4pm. If you leave now, no one will face any consequences for today's actions—no discipline, no police.'

As the arrests happened, NYPD officials released a letter from NYU officials asking them to come to the campus. 

'We have repeatedly asked all the individuals to leave Gould Plaza,' the letter read. 'They have ignored our requests.'

'At this point we consider all the protestors occupying Gould Plaza to be trespassers and we would like the NYPD to clear the area and to take action to remove the protestors. In the event they refuse to leave, we request the NYPD take enforcement action accordingly up to and including arrest.' 

After the police raid, protestors armed with flares were seen walking through Chinatown armed with Palestinian flags, heading toward 1 Police Plaza. 

 

The NYPD wasted no time in arresting protestors after waiting for hours 

Police moved in and began tearing up the signs that had been left by the protestors 

A woman can be seen being dragged away by police after failing to ignore pleas to leave

At NYU, some protesters could be heard chanting, 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' – a slogan that many regard as a call to genocide

Tents remained on the plaza after police managed to move the protestors on 

Chairs and tables are seen piled up in the wake of the chaos seen on Monday night

NYPD buses were brought in to move the protestors away from the area 

A pro-Palestinian supporter, wearing a mask to hide his identity, can be seen being arrested

Many protestors could be seen wearing Palestinian headscarves while police moved in

Police turned out in force wearing body armor, helmets and riot gear for protection

A Palestinian flag is seen as protestors are finally arrested after hours of protest

One protestor is forced to the ground as police finally move in 

Police are seen in the streets around NYU on Monday night as they prepare to make a move 

Those arrested were placed on NYPD buses and whisked away for processing 

Protestors could be seen on the buses with their hands behind their backs after being cuffed

It's believed some faculty members were also involved in the protest 

The protestors carried with them large signs in order to make their points 

Police formed a line in order to move the protestors along 

Protestors in turn linked arms in an effort to stand their ground against the NYPD

NYU Global Head of Campus Security warned students to dismantle or face 'suspension'

Protestors were seen on campus carrying signs and chanting antisemitic slogans

Police appeared ready to take on the protestors as they lined up on campus

Several signs that had been created for the protests emerged 

 Pro Palestinian students and faculty members of NYU occupy a plaza on campus and declare it a Gaza solidarity encampment on Monday

The Palestinian flag could be seen flying in the wind alongside those of NYU

Those protesting included both students an members of the the faculty

Some Jewish students at the prestigious New York institution have reported feeling intimidated

A large group of demonstrators have established a 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' at NYU

 

The protests have pitted students against one another, with pro-Palestinian students demanding that their schools condemn Israel's assault on Gaza and divest from companies that sell weapons to Israel. 

Some Jewish students, meanwhile, say much of the criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe, and they point out that Hamas is still holding hostages taken during the group's October 7 invasion.

President Joe Biden on Monday said he condemned 'the anti-Semitic protests.'

'I also condemn those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians,' he told reporters, without further details

New York Mayor Eric Adams vowed that police would arrest anyone breaking the law.

'At no time should we call for the destruction of anyone, should we call for violence towards anyone -- that is not what protesting is about,' he told CNN on Monday.

 

The protestors called for New York University to divest from Israel

The protest began as early as 6am but by nightfall there were hundreds involved

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators began their protest early on Monday morning

The protestors are calling for the university to divest from companies that have ties to Israel

The protestors wore masks in order to hide their identities 

The protest looked to have been well planned with hundreds of signs handed out

The protestors were told to leave the area by 4:30pm but few paid attention to the request

 Pro-Palestinian students and faculty of New York University, inspired by Columbia University, occupy a plaza on campus and declare it a Gaza solidarity encampment

Students at New York University (NYU) continue their demonstration on campus in solidarity with the students at Columbia University to oppose Israel's attacks on Gaza

Pro-Palestinian protesters have launched a wave of protests on campus condemning Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip

 

Uptown, Columbia University canceled in-person classes. Elsewhere, dozens of protesters were arrested at Yale, while the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public on Monday.

The various actions followed the arrest last week of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia's lawn, as schools struggle with where to draw the line between allowing free expression while maintaining a safe and inclusive campus.

In addition to the demonstrations at the Ivy League schools, pro-Palestinian encampments have sprouted up on other campuses, including at the University of Michigan, New York University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, a Democrat from North Carolina who was visiting Columbia with three other Jewish members of Congress, told reporters after meeting with students from the Jewish Law Students Association that there was 'an enormous encampment of people' who had taken up about a third of the green.

 

The flags of Palestine and Lebanon are seen outside the Stern School of Business

Various signs were held aloft by those protesting on the NYU campus

Pro-Palestinian protesters have launched a wave of protests on campuses across the US

More than a dozen tents were pitched and tables were stocked with supplies of clothes and food

The protestors called for New York University to divest from Israel

The crowd began to grow throughout Monday until NYPD finally moved in to make arrests

Some of the protestors wrote messages on the walls of the campus

 

'We saw signs indicating that Israel should be destroyed,' she said after leaving the Morningside Heights campus.

A woman inside the campus gates led about two dozen protesters on the street outside in a chant of, 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!' - a charged phrase that can mean vastly different things to different groups. Meanwhile, a small group of pro-Israel counter demonstrators protested nearby.

University President Minouche Shafik said in a message to the school community Monday that she was 'deeply saddened' by what was happening on campus.

'To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday,' Shafik wrote, noting that students who don't live on campus should stay away.

Protests have roiled many college campuses since Hamas' deadly attack on southern Israel, when militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. 

 

A large group of demonstrators has established a 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' on a central lawn at Columbia University

Days of pro-Palestinian protests have roiled New York's prestigious Columbia University

Universities have become the focus of intense cultural debate in the United States since the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel's overwhelming military response to it

 

On Sunday, Elie Buechler, a rabbi for the Orthodox Union´s Jewish Learning Initiative at Columbia, sent a WhatsApp message to nearly 300 Jewish students recommending they go home until it's safer for them on campus.

The latest developments came ahead of the Monday evening start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Nicholas Baum, a 19-year-old Jewish freshman who lives in a Jewish theological seminary building two blocks from Columbia's campus, said protesters over the weekend were 'calling for Hamas to blow away Tel Aviv and Israel.' He said some of the protesters shouting antisemitic slurs were not students.

'Jews are scared at Columbia. It's as simple as that. There's been so much vilification of Zionism, and it has spilled over into the vilification of Judaism,' he said.

 

 For the fifth day, pro-Palestinian students occupy a central lawn on the Columbia University campus

Police officers stand in front of the entrance of Columbia University which is occupied by pro-Palestine protesters in New York on Monday

Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University spent their fifth day demanding the school sever financial ties with key US ally Israel

Officers could be seen with zip ties ready to be used during the arrest of students 

 

In her statement Monday, Shafik said the Middle East conflict is terrible and that she understands that many are experiencing deep moral distress.

'But we cannot have one group dictate terms and attempt to disrupt important milestones like graduation to advance their point of view,' Shafik wrote.

Over the coming days, a working group of deans, school administrators and faculty will try to find a resolution to the university crisis, noted Shafik, who didn't say when in-person classes would resume.

On Monday night it was decided that all classes will remain hybrid until the end of the semester. 

The last day of classes is April 29 with commencement set for May 15.