At least 45 people were arrested Monday at Yale University after police in riot gear moved onto the campus to break up a pro-Palestinian protest. In-person classes were also canceled for the day.
The arrests came after nearly 200 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered to urge Yale to divest from military weapons manufacturers, the Yale Daily News reports.
The protesters have been camped out on Beinecke Plaza on the university’s campus for three days, as Breitbart News reported.
The anti-Israel mob tore down an American flag on Friday night as they occupied the campus in what Jewish students have called an act of intimidation against them and against the university.
The video circulated on social media on Saturday and Sunday, with kaffiyeh-clad activists whooping and cheering as they tore down the Stars and Stripes.
A mob of Yale students shout “VIVA VIVA PALESTINA” as they tear down an American flag on campus, cheering when it hits the floor.
(Oh, and university cops do nothing in response. Nor does the administration) pic.twitter.com/4aghYw1NBo
— Sahar Tartak🇱🇺🇸 (@sahar_tartak) April 21, 2024
Responding police officers began by warning protesters they risked arrest if they didn’t clear out before handcuffing and arresting people including students, the student paper reported.
Those arrested were removed on Yale University shuttle buses.
Journalists from the Yale Daily News were also threatened with arrest if they did not move from the plaza, according to its reports.
File/A woman walks by a Yale sign reflected in the rainwater on the Yale University campus, Aug. 22, 2021, in New Haven, Conn. Columbia University canceled in-person classes Monday, April 22, 2024 and police arrested several dozen protesters at Yale University as tensions on U.S. college campuses continue to grow over the war in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
The protesters are being charged with trespassing in the first degree, Yale Daily News laid out.
Yale president Peter Salovey sent students an email on Sunday warning the school “will pursue disciplinary actions according to its policies” amid ongoing demonstrations.