NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at Yale and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public on Monday as some of the most prestigious U.S. universities sought to diffuse campus tensions over Israel’s war with Hamas.
“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!”
University President Minouche Shafik said in a message to the school community Monday that she was “deeply saddened” by what was happening on campus.
At Yale, police officers arrested about 45 protesters and charged them with misdemeanor trespassing, said Officer Christian Bruckhart, a New Haven police spokesperson.
A large group of demonstrators regathered after Monday’s arrests at Yale and blocked a street near campus, said Bruckhart.
The university cited security concerns in a decision that was praised by some pro-Israel groups but criticized by free-speech advocates. »
