Police disperse protests against the war in Gaza at a university in New York / Article

After the operation in New York, violent clashes broke out in Los Angeles between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups.

For many days, the pro-Palestinian and anti-war protests in the Gaza Strip have not subsided, and escalation has also been observed in some places. In the course of several days, a total of several hundred students were detained at the university.

At Columbia University in New York, where this wave of protests began, protesters had set up a tent city. The administration ordered the increasingly aggressive protesters to leave the campus, but instead vandalized the area and barricaded themselves in one of the university’s buildings on Monday evening.

Columbia University President Minush Shafiq sent a letter to the New York Police Department, stating that the occupation of the building was led by individuals unrelated to the university, and asked the police for help in clearing the building and the entire campus of protesters.

The involvement of other individuals in the protests was also pointed out by several officials, including Rebecca Ulam Weiner, a spokeswoman for the NYPD’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau: “We have been told by several university partners in New York and across the country that a significant portion of these protesters are not affiliated with the specific schools. They do not have right to be on campus. And it violates university policy. And most of all, it puts the students and the entire university community in danger.”

Due to the concerns, the police decided to take action to clear the campus. Even before the police operation, the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, called on the protesters to leave the area, warning that various charges could be brought against them. He also called on the parents of young people to prevent their children from participating in the protests.

The mayor said, “This is basically being orchestrated by professional outside agitators. They are actively creating serious public safety issues in these protests. Maybe some of the students involved don’t understand what they are involved with. We call on them and anyone else violating Columbia’s order to leave the district and do it now. And if you are a parent or guardian of a student, please call your child and ask them to leave the district before the situation escalates in any way. This is for their own safety.”

Late Tuesday night, police entered the building using stairs through a second-floor window, beginning to disperse and detain students. The three-hour operation resulted in police arresting dozens of students and also dispersing those who had gathered outside on campus. The tent city, which was built by students almost two weeks ago, was also demolished.

The administration of Columbia University has asked the police to stay on campus until at least May 17 to prevent the protesters from returning. Although the White House has previously indicated that President Joe Biden supports freedom of speech, including on campuses, this time the administration sharply criticized the seizure of a building at Columbia University, which it said was the absolutely wrong approach. Meanwhile, ex-president Donald Trump has already managed to condemn Biden for inaction in solving the protest issue.