By NICK PERRY and DAVE COLLINS (Associated Press)
Columbia University canceled its in-person classes on Monday, and new demonstrations erupted on other U.S. college campuses as tensions continue to rise over the conflict in Gaza. Israel’s war in Gaza.
Police arrested several dozen protesters at Yale University on Monday morning after officials at the New Haven, Connecticut, school said they defied warnings to leave.
Following arrests at Columbia last week, pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up encampments on other campuses around the country, including at the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of North Carolina.
The events occurred shortly before the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover on Monday evening.
Last week, police arrested over 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia who had set up an encampment on the New York City campus. On Sunday, a rabbi at Columbia sent a WhatsApp message to over 200 Jewish students, urging them to leave the New York City campus if they did not feel safe. Columbia President Minouche Shafik said in a note to the school community on Monday that she was “deeply saddened” by the events on campus.
“To deescalate the tension and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday,” Shafik said.
She said faculty and staff should work remotely, when possible, and that students who don’t live on campus should stay away.
Shafik expressed understanding that the Middle East conflict is distressing to many.
Shafik also wrote that the university cannot allow one group to disrupt important events like graduation to advance their point of view.
She mentioned that a working group of deans, school administrators, and faculty will try to find a resolution to the university crisis in the coming days.
Shafik did not specify when in-person classes would resume.
Several students at Columbia and Barnard College said they were suspended for participating in last week’s protests, including a Barnard student who is the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.
At Yale, police officers arrested about 45 protesters and charged them with misdemeanor trespassing, said Officer Christian Bruckhart, a New Haven police spokesperson. All were being released on promises to appear in court later. Isra HirsiProtesters at Yale set up tents on Beinecke Plaza on Friday and demonstrated over the weekend, demanding that Yale end any investments in defense companies that do business with Israel.
In a message to the campus community on Sunday, Yale President Peter Salovey said university officials had spoken to the student protesters multiple times about the school’s policies and guidelines, including those regarding speech and allowing access to campus spaces.
Salovey mentioned that acts like putting up structures, defying the directives of university officials, and staying in campus spaces past allowed times create safety hazards and impede the work of the university.
School officials stated that they had conversations with protestors for several hours and gave them until the end of the weekend to vacate Beinecke Plaza. Subsequently, they cautioned the protestors again on Monday morning, informing them that they could potentially be arrested and disciplined, which could involve suspension, before the police intervened.
After the arrests on Monday at Yale, a large group of demonstrators gathered again and blocked a street close to the campus, as reported by Bruckhart, the police spokesperson. There were no indications of violence or injuries.
Last week, the University of Southern California took the unusual action of
cancelling a scheduled commencement speech
by its 2024 valedictorian, who had publicly expressed support for Palestinians. The university mentioned security concerns as the reason for the decision, which received praise from some pro-Israel groups but drew criticism from free-speech advocates. Columbia University has switched to remote classes and police have detained numerous students at Yale University amidst escalating tensions related to the Middle East conflict on U.S. college campuses. The measures at the Ivy League institutions were implemented shortly before the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover on Monday evening. A police spokesperson in New Haven, Connecticut, stated that about 45 protestors were arrested at Yale on Monday morning for misdemeanor trespassing and were all being released with a promise to appear in court at a later date. Following previous arrests at Columbia, pro-Palestinian demonstrators established encampments on various campuses across the country, including the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of North Carolina. by its 2024 valedictorian, who had publicly supported Palestinians. The university cited security concerns in a decision that was praised by some pro-Israel groups but criticized by free-speech advocates.
