(LibertySociety.com) – As large anti-Israel protests at colleges and universities continue across the nation, some are catching on to the seemingly organized nature of the gatherings.
On May 3, the New York Police Department (NYPD) was called to New York University and The New School to remove protestors from the campuses. Between the two schools, officers arrested 56 people who refused to leave. Cleaning crews were called to tear down encampments and pick up mounds of trash left by the far-left groups. Ironically, when these groups are not supporting terrorism, they are demanding compliance with extreme environmental policies.
Kaz Daughtry, the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Operations, told reporters, “There’s somebody behind this movement,” adding that there was “some organization behind this movement.” Daughtry previously pointed out the apparent organization at each encampment, noting that police had found pamphlets with detailed instructions for protectors to follow. Included in the instructions was information about ways to protest and actions to take in the event of an arrest. The pamphlets even included specific rhetoric for interactions with police. Several antisemitic chants were also included in the pamphlets.
The NYPD police chief said nearly all protesters arrested that day were enrolled students. Such was not the case when police cleared an encampment at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri on April 27. Seventy-three percent of the 100 individuals arrested were not students at the university. During all three operations, police gave the protestors several chances to leave the campuses, but the protestors would not comply. The NYPD told reporters that some of the protestors claimed they wanted to be arrested.
Presidents from both New York colleges asked for the encampments to be cleared, ensuring reporters knew the operation was not a raid. Since the nationwide protests began, over 2,000 people have been arrested on college campuses. Notably, outside agitators have been identified at most of the organized events.
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