More Than 100 Arrested At NYU Protest As Cops Tear Down Pro-Palestinian Encampment

More than 100 people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City on Monday night, police said, as similar demonstrations and arrests took place at college campuses across the country.

New York University students and faculty were among the 120 people taken into custody after rocks, chairs and water bottles were thrown at New York Police Department officers who were called to disperse an encampment outside NYU’s Stern School of Business in Manhattan at the school’s request, authorities said.

All but four of those arrested were released with summonses for trespass. The remaining individuals received desk appearance tickets for charges that included trespass, resisting arrest and obstructing government administration, a police spokesperson told HuffPost.

Video and photos posted to social media show officers physically wrestling with protesters and apparently discharging pepper spray while taking down tents and clearing out the surrounding Gould Plaza. Demonstrators later took to the streets before eventually dispersing.

The NYU protest against Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza followed last week’s demonstrations at nearby Columbia University, which also resulted in more than 100 arrests and the cancellation of in-person classes.

In response to NYU’s protest being suppressed, students, faculty and human rights activists accused the school and police of stripping away students’ First Amendment rights.

“It’s a really outrageous crackdown by the university to allow the police to arrest students on our own campus,” NYU law student Byul Yoon told The Associated Press on Monday.

“Shame on NYU, my employer and alma mater, for allowing NYPD to shutdown a peaceful assembly and arrest dozens of anti-genocide