Over 150 protesters, NYU students, faculty arrested after NYPD cleared Gaza Camp protest

Over 150 students and faculty were arrested at the anti-Israel protest at NYU on Monday night. They were demanding that NYU divest from Israel and shut down the school's Tel Aviv campus.

Protesters lit flares and walked to police headquarters, marching through the streets chanting slogans. By 4 am, many of those protesters were being released in groups of five.

They called their camp one of "Gaza Solidarity," and a university spokesperson said that there had been multiple incidents of antisemitism reported, though details were not provided, per NYU's Washington Square News. NYU requested the presence of the NYPD. They arrived at 8:30 pm and by 9 pm, the Gaza Camp was cleared.



"The protesters outside Gould Plaza are entering the encampment, with many appearing to be praying," Washington Square News reported. During the protest, students waved Palestinian flags and raised signs to "honor the martyrs of Palestine." Some students raised signs praising Students for Justice Palestine, a non-profit with shady funding sources that has been spurring on protests across the US.

NYPD officers in riot gear arrived downtown at West 4th Street and Gould Plaza to clear out the encampment that had been erected, cuffing faculty and students with zip ties and leading them to buses, the New York Post reports. Members of the faculty linked arms and stood as a barrier between cops and students. As such, they were the first to be arrested. As they were walked to waiting buses, some chanted "Free free Palestine."

Footage was captured by independent reporter Katie Smith. 

Cops gave the encampment and protesters fair warning before the arrests began, blasting a message over a megaphone telling the assembled that they would be arrested. Those who did not were arrested for "disorderly conduct," and video showed officers chasing protesters through the streets.

University security also wanted them gone after the barriers set up to kettle the protesters in one space continued to be pushed out to accomodate more people. The space began to fill with non-students, as well, as anti-Israel activists not affiliated with NYU showed up. 

"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," head of Campus Safety Fountain Walker told the crowd. "If you leave now, no one will face any consequences for today’s actions — no discipline, no police." Campus security had said the camp must disperse by 4 pm.

NYU spokesperon John Beckman said that the inclusion of off-campus actors "dramatically changed the situation." It was those protesters, he said, who did not respect the barriers ereceted around the Gaza Camp.

"We witnessed disorderly, disruptive, and antagonizing behavior that has interfered with the safety and security of our community, and that demonstrated how quickly a demonstration can get out of control or people can get hurt," Beckman said.

Protesters who had evaded arrest marched downtown en masse to 1 Police Plaza where their comrades were facing charges. They chanted "from the river to the sea Palestine will be free," which is a demand for the eradication of Israel. 

Some lit off flares.

The NYU Gaza Camp is one of many set up at universities across the US where students and professors advocate for Palestinian terror group Hamas.