Police clad with riot gear swarmed Yale University’s Connecticut campus early Monday and started arresting students who had been staging an anti-Israel protest encampment there for several days.
Footage posted online showed cops arriving at the Ivy League school and blocking off entrances to a plaza at the New Haven campus where roughly 200 protesters had been gathered.
Cops started warning protestors they risked being arrested if they didn’t clear out, the Yale Daily News reported.
Scores of protesters were cuffed for trespassing and hauled away on Yale University shuttle buses.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many had been nabbed.
As police descended on the campus, a group of defiant students had locked arms around a flag pole and were singing “we shall not be moved” — as officers could be seen checking the dozens of tents erected in the plaza, according to a video posted on X.
While the arrests were underway, others could be heard taunting the Yale Police Depatment (YPD), “YPD or KKK, IDF they’re all the same” and chanting, “Arab blood is not cheap, for the martyrs we will speak.”
Cops had cleared the plaza and encampment of student protestors by about 8 a.m.
It comes after protests at Yale turned violent over the weekend when a Jewish student journalist reporting on an encampment, which was erected Friday, was stabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag Saturday night.
Sahar Tartak, the editor-in-chief of the Yale Free Press, was covering the protest when she was suddenly surrounded by demonstrators.
“There’s hundreds of people taunting me and waving the middle finger at me, and then this person waves a Palestinian flag in my face and jabs it in my eye,” Tartak told The Post.
“When I tried to yell and go after him, the protesters got in a line and stopped me.”
Yale president Peter Salovey sent students an email late Sunday warning the school “will pursue disciplinary actions according to its policies” amid the ongoing demonstrations.
“Many of the students participating in the protests, including those conducting counterprotests, have done so peacefully. However, I am aware of reports of egregious behavior, such as intimidation and harassment, pushing those in crowds, removal of the plaza flag, and other harmful acts,” he wrote.
“Yale does not tolerate actions, including remarks, that threaten, harass, or intimidate members of the university’s Jewish, Muslim, and other communities.
“The Yale Police Department is investigating each report, and we will take action when appropriate, including making referrals for student discipline.”
The arrival of cops comes after more than 100 protesters were cuffed and hauled away when the NYPD was called in to clear out a similar protest at Columbia University last week.
This is a developing story, please refresh for updates.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
