May 3, 2024 - US college protests

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) arrested 43 people at the New School, a private university in the city, after the school requested assistance in dispersing illegal encampments, according to an NYPD spokesperson who spoke to CNN affiliate, WABC Friday. 

According to NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry who also spoke with WABC, the individuals had an encampment in the lobby of a residence hall preventing the students from going into their dorms. 

Daughtry told WABC police arrived on the scene and gave the individuals ample time to leave and those that stayed “wanted to be arrested for trespassing.”

According to the spokesperson, a total of 56 individuals were arrested Friday morning, including 13 people who were arrested at New York University. 

CNN has reached out to the NYPD for additional information about Friday’s arrests.

CNN’s Maria Sole Campinoti contributed to this report

More than 2,000 people have been arrested at colleges and universities since April 18 as a growing wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests spreads across not only the US but around the world.

During the weeks of demonstrations, protesters have mainly called for schools to divest from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza. The college protests, which captured global attention in recent days, have rippled on campuses in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Clashes and standoffs with police, and some counterprotesters, unfolded at Columbia University, Portland State and UCLA, as school officials and police continue large crackdowns on protesters. Nearly 200 people were arrested on May 1, after April 30 saw the largest number of arrests in a day since protests began with nearly 400 arrests, according to a CNN review.

President Joe Biden has delivered his most extensive remarks on the unrest. He drew a line between what he called peaceful and violent protests, repeated his support for Israel and dismissed calls for the National Guard to intervene.

While some colleges have either canceled or modified graduation ceremonies, others including universities across Florida are moving forward with commencement this weekend.

Here are the latest developments:

Biden administration weighs in: After President Joe Biden addressed the issue head-on Thursday, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona sent a letter Friday to college and university presidents condemning “abhorrent” incidents of antisemitism on campus and offering schools available resources.

Florida universities: Universities across Florida are preparing for weekend commencement celebrations, which kick off Friday, after the State University System of Florida's chancellor commended school presidents on their handling of a "difficult academic year" to keep Jewish students and faculty safe and noting that protests during the ceremonies will "not be tolerated."

New York University: The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said it cleared at encampment at New York University (NYU) early Friday morning, following a request from the school. Nearby, the New School also requested assistance from NYPD to disperse the "illegal encampments" inside their university center building and residence hall, an NYPD statement said.

Portland State University: At least 30 people were arrested Thursday at the school, where law enforcement was working to clear a library that had been occupied by protesters since Monday, according to authorities. A man also drove his car toward a group of protesters on Thursday, stopping just short of the crowd and spraying them with “some kind of pepper spray,” police said.

Students in Paris: Students from universities across Paris are expected to rally Friday in support of Palestinian people in Gaza. Dozens of students started a sit-in inside Paris’ Sciences Po late Thursday, prompting the university to close its Paris campus Friday, according to a school spokesman.

The New School requested assistance from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to disperse the illegal encampments inside their university center building and residence hall, according to an NYPD statement Friday.

Students and individuals from outside of the university community trespassed into the lobby of the University Center building at 63 Fifth Avenue and the lobby of the Kerrey Hall residence hall at 65 Fifth Avenue, according to a letter from the university to police.

According to the letter, the students "have been informed numerous times" that their actions — setting up tents and structures within campus spaces and damaging university property — are in violation of the university’s rules and policies.

The Biden administration is ramping up its direct response to the college protests over the Israel-Hamas war, with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona sending a letter Friday to college and university presidents condemning “abhorrent” incidents of antisemitism on campus and highlighting available resources.

Cardona’s letter, sent via email, comes one day after President Joe Biden addressed the issue head-on Thursday, offering law-and-order-centric remarks at the White House stressing the need to peacefully protest without causing chaos. 

In recent days, he wrote, there has been a “sharp rise in reports of antisemitism targeting Jewish students on some college campuses.”

He cited reports from Jewish students of being physically assaulted or harassed while walking on campus, antisemitic statements, including that Jewish students should “go back to Poland,” verbal abuse, and swastikas found on dorm room doors.

Cardona told the higher education leaders that his department is “eager to provide further resources, training, technical assistance,” linking to a list of strategies and other federal campus safety resources, including guides from the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the Department of Justice.

Read the full story here.

Universities across Florida are preparing for weekend commencement celebrations, which kick off Friday, after the State University System of Florida's chancellor commended school presidents on their handling of a "difficult academic year to ensure the safety of our Jewish students and faculty."

Florida State University will hold six ceremonies across two days, with the University of Florida holding its on Friday night.

Read more about preparations other colleges are taking ahead of commencement ceremonies.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said it cleared at encampment at New York University (NYU) early Friday morning, following a request from the school.

NYU requested "assistance to disperse the illegal encampment on their property," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry.

The clearing of the encampment comes shortly after the NYPD was used to help clear Columbia University’s encampment and Hamilton Hall — and at a time when protests on campuses across the country have hit a fever pitch with many students calling for colleges to divest from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza.

Chief Daughtry posted a redacted letter from NYU dated May 2, 2024, stating in part the individuals operating Green Street Walkway have persisted for six days and “their presence has created a continuing risk of violence due to the presence and behavior of hundreds of individuals not affiliated with NYU drawn to the encampment, including acts of vandalism.”

French police have cleared the main hall of Sciences Po University in Paris of pro-Palestinian protesters.

The evacuation was carried out calmly by riot police with protestors shouting “shame!” and “free Palestine!”

Dozens of students had began a sit-in inside the university late Thursday. The university closed its campus Friday, a school spokesman said.

Students from universities across Paris are expected to rally Friday afternoon in support of Palestinian people in Gaza. 

The protest is scheduled to be held outside the Pantheon, a French national Monument in a district housing some of Paris’ most prestigious universities, including the Sorbonne.

Dozens of students started a sit-in inside Paris’ Sciences Po late Thursday, prompting the university to close its Paris campus Friday, according to a school spokesman.

Paris riot police are expected to evacuate the university in the coming hours.

A key demand of some protesters has been the breaking of ties with universities in Israel, which has so far been resisted by university authorities. Students are also demanding that French universities condemn Israel.

The protests have not snowballed into a broader national movement, but pockets of protests have been seen at campuses across the country.

An attempted occupation at the Sorbonne University was ended by police this week.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal last Saturday described the occupation at Sciences Po as a “distressing and shocking spectacle.”

Here's where other campus protests are happening around the world.

A man drove his car toward a group of protesters at Portland State University on Thursday, stopping just short of the crowd and spraying them with “some kind of pepper spray,” police said.

In a video taken at the scene, a man can be seen driving toward a large crowd of protesters, stopping just short of them. Another man tries to stop the driver and reaches inside the car window before being sprayed with a brown-colored aerosol. Others then begin to hit and throw objects at the car. The driver then gets out and runs away, spraying others as he flees on foot.

CNN has reached out to police about this incident.

Later on Thursday, police arrested at least 30 people at Portland State University as they worked to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from a library that had been occupied this week.