Police began removing anti-Israel protesters from an encampment on Yale’s campus early Monday after a week of protests calling for the university to divest from military weapon manufacturers.
Police arrested 47 protesters in the encampment near Beinecke Plaza, a Yale University spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. Students who were arrested are being referred for Yale disciplinary action, which includes reprimand, probation, or suspension.
Beinecke Plaza is where more than 250 agitators had gathered Sunday night.
Yale Police Chief Anthony Campbell told the Yale Daily News that the arrested protesters would be charged with trespassing, a Class A misdemeanor, and would be released once they are processed.
Police were seen removing pro-Palestinian protesters camped out on Yale’s campus on Monday. (WTIC)
As police removed the protesters around the camp, a group of more than 350 demonstrators blocked the intersection of Grove and College Streets on the New Haven, Conn., campus, the college newspaper reported. Video from the scene shows members of the group holding “Free Palestine” signs and singing, “From Yale to Columbia, we will not be moved.”
Police were seen removing pro-Palestinian protesters camped out on Yale’s campus on Monday. (WTIC)
The Yale spokesperson said protesters had been told that if they continued to violate the university’s policies regarding its outdoor space, they could face law enforcement and disciplinary action.
The university also held a discussion with protesters on Sunday, according to the spokesperson, and offered the opportunity to speak with trustees and avoid arrest if they left the plaza by the end of Sunday.
The protesters, however, declined the offer, the spokesperson said.
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The removal of the protesters comes after a similar situation involving anti-Israel protesters on Columbia University’s campus in New York City on Thursday. At least 108 anti-Israel agitators were arrested as police broke up the encampment.
Students at Columbia were told in an overnight statement that all classes will be held virtually on Monday as anti-Israel protesters take over the campus with another encampment.
Pro-Palestinian protesters on Yale’s campus on Monday morning. (WTIC)
Such demonstrations have exploded across college campuses in recent months out of protest at Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which in turn is a reaction to Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel that saw 1,200 people killed and around 240 taken hostage.
Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry claims that the war has killed at least 34,097 Palestinians and wounded another 76,980, though Israel has disputed these figures. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Bradford Betz, along with The Associated Press contributed to this report.