NYPD breaks up pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University

NYPD officers detain a person as pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside of Columbia University in New York City on Thursday. Officers cleared out a pro-Palestinian campus demonstration, a day after university officials testified about anti-Semitism before Congress. (Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)

New York City police officers in riot gear began making dozens of arrests at Columbia University Thursday afternoon, after school president Minouche Shafik asked for help clearing protesters from a pro-Palestinian encampment.

In a letter sent to the NYPD, Shafik said "the encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger" to the school.