Scenes of Protests Spread at Elite Campuses
The arrests of more than 100 protesters at Columbia last week led to more campus demonstrations, at Yale, M.I.T. and as far away as the University of Michigan.
In Photos and Video
Credit...Adam Gray for The New York Times
Share full article
By The New York TimesText by Troy Closson
Published April 22, 2024 ... Updated April 23, 2024, 7:27 a.m. ET
Protests and arrests spread across some of America’s most influential universities on Monday, as administrators struggled to defuse tensions on campuses over pro-Palestinian demonstrations on Monday.
Nearly 50 people were arrested at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., on Monday morning, following the arrests last week of more than 100 protesters at Columbia University in New York City. The arrests unleashed a wave of activism across other campuses, including M.I.T., the University of Michigan and Stanford University, as protesters sought their universities’ divestment from companies with ties to Israel and a cease-fire in Israel’s war in Gaza.
The flurry of protests has presented a steep challenge for university leaders, as some Jewish students say they have faced harassment and antisemitic comments. Early Monday morning, Columbia announced a same-day shift to online classes because of the protests. Barnard College, across the street, followed suit hours later.
Here are scenes from the protests.
Image
A group of people are bathed in red light from a flare being held up by one person. Another person waves a Palestinian flag.
Credit...Adam Gray for The New York Times
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators near the N.Y.U. campus after arrests by the police.
Video
CreditCredit...Kassie Bracken/The New York Times
Police officers taking protesters into custody at N.Y.U.
Image
People raise their fists or hold up cellphones as a bus with Police Department markings passes with people looking out the windows.
Credit...Andres Kudacki for The New York Times
People arrested at a pro-Palestinian demonstration at N.Y.U. on Monday were taken away on a New York Police Department bus.
Image
A group of people, some holding signs, link arms on a sidewalk with tents and a campus building in the background.
Credit...Adam Gray for The New York Times
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators awaiting the arrival of the police on the N.Y.U. campus on Monday.
Image
Protesters siting among tents at night.
Credit...Sophie Park for The New York Times
An encampment of demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza on Kresge Lawn at M.I.T. in Cambridge, Mass.
Image
Several tents, some of which have homemade signs, at night. “Gazan kids were not born to die” and “Liberated zone” are among the signs’ messages.
Credit...Sophie Park for The New York Times
The M.I.T. protest encampment remained up on Monday night.
Image
Students stand inside a window in a building in the background. A Palestinian flag waves in the foreground.
Credit...Andres Kudacki for The New York Times
Students inside the Stern School of Business building at New York University watched the demonstrations from above.
Image
People kneel on prayer rugs and bow their heads to the ground on a plaza as others standing in the background looking on. A building with an N.Y.U. banner on it facade is behind them.
Credit...Andres Kudacki for The New York Times
Some pro-Palestinian demonstrators engaged in prayers at N.Y.U. as others looked on.
Video
CreditCredit...Sarah Maslin Nir/The New York Times
The tent encampment set up by pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the plaza outside the business school’s entrance.
Image
People walk on a plaza outside a building, some clapping their hands.
Credit...Andres Kudacki for The New York Times
Protesters marched outside University Center, one of the main buildings at the New School’s Greenwich Village campus.
Image
A group of protesters hold signs that read “Kidnapped by Terrorists” outside the gates of the Columbia campus.
Credit...Adam Gray for The New York Times
A group of demonstrators gathered at a pro-Israel rally outside the main gates of Columbia.
Image
An overhead view of tents lining a campus lawn with people gathered among them and campus buildings beyond.
Credit...C.S. Muncy for The New York Times
The encampment at Columbia was put back up by protesters after being removed the previous week.
Image
People wearing academic caps and gowns hold signs with slogans such as “End student suspensions now,” “Restore faculty governance” and “hands off our students.”
Credit...C.S. Muncy for The New York Times
In a show of support for students who had been arrested and suspended, faculty members at Columbia took part in a walkout on Monday.
Image
A crowd gathered on a campus lawn faces a group standing in the foreground with their backs to the camera.
Credit...Bing Guan for The New York Times
Hundreds of people stood to listen to faculty members speaking as part of the walkout.
Image
People sit or kneel on the ground, painting slogans and the colors of the Palestinian flag on plastic buckets.
Credit...Cydni Elledge for The New York Times
Student demonstrators gathered at the Diag, a central location on the University of Michigan campus.
Image
A woman holds out her hand as another applies a pattern in henna.
Credit...Cydni Elledge for The New York Times
At the University of Michigan, a student protester applied a henna tattoo depicting a pattern that symbolizes Palestine onto the wrist of another demonstrator.
Image
People bow in prayer on a blue tarp spread on a grassy lawn. A sign leaning against a tent in the foreground reads, “MIT out of Palestine.” A Palestinian flag, other tents and a building with an arcing facade are in the background.
Credit...Sophie Park for The New York Times
Demonstrators prayed together at the encampment organized by protesters at M.I.T., in Cambridge, Mass.
Image
A man raises an Israeli flag in front of his body during a protest. His silhouette can be seen as sunlight shines through the flag.
Credit...Adam Gray for The New York Times
Supporters of Israel at Columbia on Monday morning.
Video
TRANSCRIPT
0:00/0:22
Crowd: “We will not stop, we will not rest. Disclose, divest. We will not stop, we will not rest. Disclose, divest.” Crowd: “Free, free, free Palestine. Free, free, free Palestine. Free, free, free Palestine. Free, free, free Palestine. Free, free, free Palestine.”
CreditCredit...Eliza Fawcett for The New York Times
Pro-Palestinian students at Yale University gathered on campus chanting, “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.”
Image
A group of students sit on the streets and sidewalk outside an administration building at Yale. Several hold signs in support of Palestine.
Credit...Adrian Martinez Chavez for The New York Times
Students on the Yale campus took part in protests, even after arrests had been made earlier on Monday.
Video
TRANSCRIPT
0:00/0:09
“Free, free Palestine.” “Back up — everybody’s got to back up.”
CreditCredit...Adam Gray for The New York Times
Outside Columbia’s gates, New York City police officers detained a pro-Palestinian demonstrator.
Image
Representative Mike Lawler, in a blue suit, speaks into microphones on a cordoned street, surrounded by people, including some holding Israeli flags.
Credit...Adam Gray for The New York Times
Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, calling for Columbia’s president to “resign in disgrace.”
Image
Stickers are applied to a bronze wall decoration in the shape of the face of a lion with a ring held in its mouth.
Credit...C.S. Muncy for The New York Times
Pro-Palestinian stickers near the entrance of Butler Library.
Video
TRANSCRIPT
0:00/0:14
[crowd clapping and cheering] How about you have the courage to open the gate? And let’s see what happens.
CreditCredit...Bing Guan for The New York Times
Protesters gathered around Columbia’s College Walk, the main pedestrian thoroughfare on the campus, as a speaker addressed them from the Sundial, a campus landmark.
Image
A man, wearing a face mask showing the Israeli flag, holds a hybrid U.S.-Israeli flag.
Credit...Adam Gray for The New York Times
A pro-Israel demonstrator outside Columbia University’s campus gates.
Image
A woman holding a bullhorn speaks on the steps of a plaza surrounded by other protesters.
Credit...Andres Kudacki for The New York Times
Protesters at New York University demanding a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
Image
A group of tents are set up on the lawn in front of a domed building at M.I.T.
Credit...Sophie Park for The New York Times
Students erected encampments at several Boston-area universities, including M.I.T., to show solidarity with Palestinians and with protesters at Columbia.
Image
A group of men and women wearing traditional Palestinian scarves bang on orange Home Depot buckets with drumsticks during a protest.
Credit...Sophie Park for The New York Times
Students at M.I.T. formed an improvised drum circle during the protests.
Image
An aerial view of a large crowd gathered around a protester, who is standing on the Sundial and speaking into a bullhorn.
Credit...C.S. Muncy for The New York Times
Protesters gathered around Columbia’s College Walk as a speaker addressed them from the Sundial.
Video
CreditCredit...Adam Gray for The New York Times
Officers, some with batches of plastic restraints attached to their uniforms, lined up at a news conference held by the New York Police Department outside the Columbia campus on Monday.
Image
Six people, several wearing head scarves, most of them with patterns, are seen from behind with arms interlocking.
Credit...C.S. Muncy for The New York Times
A group of pro-Palestinian students guarding their protest site on Columbia’s central campus lawn.
Video
CreditCredit...Angie Wong via Storyful
The “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” dominates Columbia’s South Fields, facing Low Library, the space where commencement exercises are scheduled next month.
Image
Shai Davidai, in a black hooded sweatshirt and glasses, speaks to a gathered crowd in front of the gates of the Columbia campus.
Credit...Adam Gray for The New York Times
Shai Davidai, a Jewish Columbia professor, speaking outside the campus gates on Monday after saying his university identification card had been deactivated. A petition, which has garnered more than 10,000 signatures, has sought his termination, accusing him of harassment of pro-Palestinian students.
Image
A student stands in the center of an intersection outside a gothic building, speaking into a microphone as other students fill the intersection to listen. Protest messages have been written in chalk on the street.
Credit...Adrian Martinez Chavez for The New York Times
Students at Yale occupied an intersection near Woodbridge Hall.
Sunday, April 21
Image
A female student walks in front of a group of demonstrators gathered along a police barricade. In the foreground, a Palestinian flag is visible.
Credit...Bing Guan for The New York Times
Protesters rallied outside Columbia’s gates. Some protesters, unaffiliated with the university, made antisemitic comments toward Jewish students.
Image
A row of tents sits behind piles of supplies on a campus at night with lamps on posts glowing beyond.
Credit...Bing Guan for The New York Times
Tents that had previously been removed were again set up on the campus lawn by demonstrators.
Thursday, April 18
Image
Students on Columbia’s South Fields being escorted by police officers in blue uniforms. Around them are tents. In the background is Low Library, a colonnaded classical building. People are standing on the steps, on College Walk and the fields.
Credit...C.S. Muncy for The New York Times
More than 100 Pro-Palestinian activists were arrested last week when Columbia’s president said she had taken the “extraordinary step” to call in the police “because these are extraordinary circumstances.”
Image
Cornel West, wearing a suit and speaking into a bullhorn as he points up with his left hand, stands amid people seated on a campus lawn.
Credit...C.S. Muncy for The New York Times
Cornel West addressed student protesters.
Image
Tents fill a campus lawn. Hand-painted banners read “Liberated zone” and “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.”
Credit...C.S. Muncy for The New York Times
The student demonstrators were not deterred by rainstorms on Thursday. They remained in tents before the encampment was eventually removed.
Image
Police officers in blue uniforms and helmets face a group of protesters who are gesturing and shouting.
Credit...C.S. Muncy for The New York Times
The administration called the New York Police Department onto the campus. Over 100 students were arrested on Thursday.
NEW
More to Discover
Expand to see more
David Beckham, left, and Mark Wahlberg.
US
Why David Beckham Is Suing Mark Wahlberg and F45 for Millions
“Perhaps if we limit the coverage to the issues at hand and try not to create an all-encompassing spectacle of the most banal of details, perhaps that would help,” Jon Stewart said about Donald Trump’s trial.
ARTS
Jon Stewart Slams How the News Media Is Covering Trump’s Trial
The Secret Service is legally required to protect current and former presidents. But none have ever faced the prospect of incarceration.
NYREGION
Could Trump Go to Prison? If He Does, the Secret Service Goes, Too
More in New York
The Secret Service is legally required to protect current and former presidents. But none have ever faced the prospect of incarceration.
NYREGION
Could Trump Go to Prison? If He Does, the Secret Service Goes, Too
SAVE FOR LATER
Try Something Different
David Beckham, left, and Mark Wahlberg.
Left, Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters; Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images
US
Why David Beckham Is Suing Mark Wahlberg and F45 for Millions
SAVE FOR LATER
“Perhaps if we limit the coverage to the issues at hand and try not to create an all-encompassing spectacle of the most banal of details, perhaps that would help,” Jon Stewart said about Donald Trump’s trial.
Comedy Central
ARTS
Jon Stewart Slams How the News Media Is Covering Trump’s Trial
SAVE FOR LATER
George, left, and Lori Schappell in 2002. Though conjoined, both led independent lives
Brad C. Bower/Associated Press
HEALTH
Lori and George Schappell, Long-Surviving Conjoined Twins, Die at 62
SAVE FOR LATER
Melania Trump with Richard Grenell, Donald J. Trump’s former ambassador to Germany, at the Log Cabin Republican’s fund-raiser at Mar-a-Lago.
Log Cabin Republicans of Greater Boston
STYLE
Melania Trump Reappears, in Black
SAVE FOR LATER
Editors Picks
“Portrait of Fräulein Lieser” by Gustav Klimt.
ARTS
For Sale: A Rare Klimt Portrait, Valued at $32 Million. But of Whom?
SAVE FOR LATER
For more stories, return to home.
Troy Closson reports on K-12 schools in New York City for The Times. More about Troy Closson
Share full article
Sign up for the New York Today Newsletter Each morning, get the latest on New York businesses, arts, sports, dining, style and more. Get it sent to your inbox.
Related Content
More In New York
Could Trump Go to Prison? If He Does, the Secret Service Goes, Too
The Secret Service is legally required to protect current and former presidents. But none have ever faced the prospect of incarceration.
Erin Schaff/The New York Times
Columbia Students Arrested Over Campus Rally May Face Other Consequences
Isra Hirsi is a Barnard College junior and the daughter of Representative Ilhan Omar. She was arrested after participating in a pro-Palestinian protest on Columbia’s campus this week.
Bing Guan for The New York Times
Eddie Redmayne and Angela Bassett Journey to Berlin at ‘Cabaret’ Opening
Ato Blankson-Wood and Eddie Redmayne, who both star in “Cabaret,” at the opening night of the musical.
Frederick Celani, Who Made a Career as a Con Man, Dies at 75
The con man Frederick George Celani, when he was calling himself, Fred Sebastian, in a 1998 newspaper clipping.
The State Journal Register, Illinois, via The San Francisco Examiner
A Life Overtaken by Conspiracy Theories Explodes in Flames as the Public Looks On
Max Azzarello’s actions on Friday at a Lower Manhattan park did not appear to be directed at any particular political party.
Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times
How a Dating Show Host Spends Her Sundays
Stef Dag started an online dating show called “Hot & Single” last year, poking fun at New York’s dysfunctional dating scene.
Lexi Parra for The New York Times
Editors’ Picks
For Sale: A Rare Klimt Portrait, Valued at $32 Million. But of Whom?
“Portrait of Fräulein Lieser” by Gustav Klimt.
im Kinsky
Harvard’s Taylor Swift Scholars Have Thoughts on ‘Tortured Poets’
On Thursday night, about 50 students from the Harvard class gathered to await the midnight release of Taylor Swift’s new album.
Adam Glanzman for The New York Times
What to Do When Your 401(k) Leaves Something to Be Desired
Chris Gentry has been saving diligently for retirement but is concerned about fees in his 401(k).
Gili Benita for The New York Times
Trending in The Times
- Why David Beckham Is Suing Mark Wahlberg and F45 for Millions
- Jon Stewart Slams How the News Media Is Covering Trump’s Trial
- Lori and George Schappell, Long-Surviving Conjoined Twins, Die at 62
- Melania Trump Reappears, in Black
- At Least 5 Die Trying to Cross English Channel, Including a Young Girl
- One Walk-in Shower Is as Good as Any Other, Right? Wrong.
- Opinion: I Thought the Bragg Case Against Trump Was a Legal Embarrassment. Now I Think It’s a Historic Mistake.
- In San Francisco, a Home Renovation Can Become a Battle Royale
- Opinion: An Octopus Took My Camera, and the Images Changed the Way I See the World
- The Circus Trump Wanted Outside His Trial Hasn’t Arrived
| |
