FITĀ anti-Israel encampment cleared as NYPD arrests dozens of protesters who refused to leave
The anti-Israel encampment at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan was cleared away Tuesday evening — after dozens of protesters were arrested for refusing to shut down their rally.
NYPD officers in riot helmets and carrying zip ties moved in on the crowd of hundreds just 10 minutes after announcing that those who failed tošÆ vacate the West 27th Street campus would be charged with trespassing.
āStudents, students,š you make us proud!ā the crowd chanted as their buddies were hauled onto an NYPD corrections bus shortly before midnight.
Within 30 minutes, a university clešaning crew cleared the encampment, dragging ź¦the tents away from the property.
It wasn’t immediately clear if FIT gave the NYPD the go-ahead to arrest the protesters — as Columbia had done on its studentšs twice last month.
Before police moved in, hāundreds of protesters played š¤Ŗgames like Connect 4 and Jenga, drew on the ground with chalk and munched on cookies.
The only strife appeared to emerge when an offā icer scolded a protester for throwing candāy at the crowd, telling her it was dangerous and that it could hit someone in the eye.
“Did I hit anyone in the eye?” she haughtily asked her friends in front of the cop.
“No!” they jeered back.
Police began monitoring the peacefulā demonstration over two šhours before swooping in to make arrests.
The ofā¤ficersš set up barricades in front of the tent city as protesters locked arms in front of the encampment.
Throughout the demonstration, the protesters hurled insults at the officers ašs they maintained the perimeter.