The students urged the university to divest from defense manufacturers involved in arming Israel
Police on Monday moved in to disperse a pro-Palestinian encampment at Yale University in Connecticut, and arrested nearly 50 students in the operation.
The protesters have been camping in Beinecke Plaza on the Yale University campus for three days and demanding the university break ties with military weapons manufacturers linked to Israel.
The encampment was raided early in the morning beginning with police officers cordoning off the area and demanding the protesters disperse. While some of them opted to leave, others refused and were arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing. A total of 47 students have been arrested during the raid, a university spokesperson told the Yale Daily News college newspaper.
“The university made the decision to arrest those individuals who would not leave the Plaza with the safety and security of the entire Yale community in mind and to allow access to university facilities by all members of our community,” the spokesperson explained, adding that Yale will now take disciplinary action against the arrested students.
After multiple warnings, the violent mob of antisemitic protestors at Yale faces arrest. Oh, and their tent encampment was taken down. All this happened as they sung "we shall not be moved." pic.twitter.com/ZPlworYrAa
— Sahar Tartak🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@sahar_tartak) April 22, 2024
However, the arrests have apparently not deterred the pro-Palestinian protesters, as more of them have shown up at the location after the raid. Some 300 protesters have blocked the intersection at the Plaza despite the heavy police presence remaining in the area, footage from the scene shows.