Anti-Israel protesters armed with flares converged on NYPD headquarters late Monday following reports of a surge in student arrests at NYU, totalling over 150.
Videos of Monday night’s protests show demonstrators carrying flares as they marched towards One Police Plaza amid flag-waving, drumming, and chants of “Gaza.”
NYPD officers clad in riot gear were observed monitoring the protesters, who echoed chants of “We will free Palestine within our lifetime.”
As the night progressed, the tally of arrested protesters surpassed 150, leading to challenges in processing detainees when the mass-arrest system experienced technical difficulties, according to PIX 11 and The Post sources.
However, the NYPD refrained from confirming the precise number of arrests as of early Tuesday.
NYU’s spokesperson informed PIX 11 that “disorderly, disruptive, and antagonizing” protesters had assembled at Gould Plaza, prompting the university to request NYPD intervention in writing.
The protesters’ demands included NYU’s divestment from weapons manufacturers and the termination of its ties with Tel Aviv University.
Notably, some staff members from the downtown university participated in the rally alongside students.
Footage circulated online purportedly depicts dozens of NYU faculty members forming a human chain to impede the NYPD’s advance on the students’ encampment.
Monday’s events at NYU mirrored a broader wave of protests sweeping across college campuses nationwide in response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which escalated since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.
Columbia University also witnessed over 100 arrests, prompting the relocation of classes to online platforms due to safety concerns for students on campus.
A prominent rabbi at Columbia urged students to remain home, with university officials permitting online class attendance.
These protests follow a congressional hearing at Columbia, where university president Minouche Shafik addressed the institution’s response to antisemitism.
Similar demonstrations resulted in numerous arrests at Yale University, while encampments sprung up on campus quads from Michigan to Massachusetts.
The heightened tensions on university campuses underscore the deep divisions and impassioned responses elicited by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
As protests continue to reverberate across academia, authorities and university administrations grapple with maintaining order while upholding freedom of expression and ensuring the safety of all students and staff.
