By Diyar Guldogan
WASHINGTON (AA) - Dozens of people were arrested at New York University (NYU) in Manhattan on Monday as pro-Palestinian campus protests escalated across the US.
According to media reports, officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) clad in riot gear moved in on the NYU encampment and used zip ties to detain protestors who condemned Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has claimed more than 34,000 lives.
The crackdown at NYU came hours after police arrested 45 people at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and after New York’s Columbia University announced that it was switching to online classes due to pro-Palestinian protests.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, who faces mounting calls to resign, said the “decibel” of the disagreements has only increased in recent days.
"To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday," Shafik said in a statement.
Over 100 students, including the daughter of US Representative Ilhan Omar, were arrested at Columbia on Thursday as they were staging a sit-in after Shafik called on the NYPD to clear the demonstration.
All 10 New York Republicans in the House of Representatives called on Shafik to step down from her post amid the ongoing protests.
The lawmakers said on Monday in a letter to Shafik that "anarchy has engulfed" the school's Manhattan campus and accused the president of failing to provide students with "a safe learning environment."