Internet enraged as NYPD confiscates 'inflammatory' signage from anti-Israel agitators at NYU

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Police officers are working relentlessly in clearing out anti-Israel agitators at New York University (NYU) in downtown Manhattan on Friday, May 2, as pressure continues to mount upon the city’s mayor, Eric Adams.

The authorities have now reportedly shared horrifying signs recovered from one of the New York institutions, bearing terrorist slogans, reported Fox News.

The New York Police Department officers broke up an "illegal encampment" at New York University on the same day with assistance from cleaning crews to remove tents and sweep away the belongings of the protesters.

The spine-chilling signs recovered from the protest

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry shared various photos of "inflammatory literature and signage" found at the protest.

"The NYPD proudly protects everyone’s right to free speech and peaceful protest," Daughtry said in a post, before sharing the signage. One piece of literature found on the site explicitly calls for "Death to America" and "Death to Israeli real-estate."

NYPD Chief John Chell says 99 percent of those arrested for the antisemitic protests were students 

NYPD Chief John Chell spoke to reporters on Friday and confirmed the NYPD had two operations "at the request of school presidents," including at New York University and The New School in New York.

He confirmed that officers arrested 56 people, with no incidents. He also noted that "99%" of those arrested were students.

One sign recovered from the protest area said, "You will not find a truce from us." Another read "Enough with De-Escalation Trainings: Where are the Escalation Trainings!"

NYPD's press release after student arrests at University of Columbia

The NYPD issued a press release saying that among those arrested at Columbia University, “approximately 29% of individuals were not affiliated” with the school, while 60% of people arrested at CCNY protests had no affiliation with the school. It was not immediately clear how the police were defining “affiliation,” and the release did not break down arrest figures in further detail.

“What we have seen, and what has been made clear by the evidence emerging after this week’s arrests, is that professional, external actors are involved in these protests and demonstrations,” NYPD commissioner, Edward Caban, said in the release, per The Guardian.

“These individuals are not university students, they are not affiliated with either the institutions or campuses in question, and they are working to escalate the situation,” he detailed.

One officer accidentally fired a gun amid Columbia University student protest

Authorities further noted that while clearing out protesters camped inside on Tuesday night, April 30, one police officer accidentally discharged his gun inside Columbia’s Hamilton Hall.

Fortunately, no one was injured, said the authorities on Thursday. He was trying to use the flashlight attached to his gun at the time and instead fired a single round that struck a frame on the wall.

There were other officers but no students in the immediate vicinity, said officials. A body-camera footage showed when the officer’s gun went off, but the district attorney’s office is conducting a review. 

Joe Biden's controversial take on student protests

On Thursday, the US president defended the right to protest but insisted that “order must prevail” as college campuses across the US continued to face unrest amid pro-Palestine demonstrations against the war in Gaza and universities’ investments in companies that support Israel’s government.

Even though Biden has stayed mostly quiet about the current phase of intensified protests which has spread like wildfire all over the country, the 81-year-old said at the White House, "Dissent is essential for democracy but dissent must never lead to disorder,” per Al Jazeera.

He also said that the protests had not prompted him to reconsider his approach to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza aimed at following the attack led by Hamas on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, but, since has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them being civilians. The president has occasionally criticized Israel’s conduct but continued to supply it with weapons. 

“Violent protests are not protected. Peaceful protest is,” Biden said, adding per KVUE,

“There’s the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos,” the president continued. "Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campus, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduation… none of this is a peaceful protest.”

He added, however, that the right to free speech must be protected in the US. “We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people and squash dissent … but neither are we a lawless country,” he said.

Internet reacts to 'Death to Israel and America' signs on University campus

Internet users were also concerned after authorities confiscated such dreadful signs from University campuses.

One user wrote, "This is really a serious matter that needs to be discussed," and another said, "Sad bunch of no hopers. Hope they don't ever have kids." 

"The Israelí govt is bad but that’s not going to help the cause," penned one individual and another tweeted, "Prepare for more with an invitation of Biden."

"I’ll pay more taxes to deport them to the Middle East," opined one user. "'Peaceful' protesters" mocked another.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.