More than 100 students and staff were arrested at New York University last night as protests around the Israel-Hamas war reached a boiling point. Recent days have seen an escalation of long-running largely pro-Palestinian protests in some of the country's most prestigious educational establishments.
confirmed that 120 people were taken into custody - 116 of whom were released with summonses for trespass, giving them a future date to appear before a judge or magistrate. The remaining four were issued with desk appearance tickets for more serious offences - meaning they are required to appear at a criminal court on a future date.
deputy commissioner Kaz Daughtry said the university had requested for police to come to the campus, adding: 'Our officers responded to the location without delay and dispersed the crowd - making numerous arrests, as necessary.' At Yale University in Connecticut, protests were reported to have grown to 'include several hundred people - Yale undergraduates, graduate and professional students, and people with no Yale affiliation', according to a statement from the university.
chief of patrol John Chell told the student newspaper there were no reports of violence or injuries and that the students were 'peaceful, offered no resistance whatsoever.' Robert Kraft, a major donor to Columbia who is Jewish and the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, has threatened to pull his money from the university, saying: 'I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.
, NYU and Columbia have all been approached for comment.