By: Fern Sidman

A pro-Hamas demonstration at Brooklyn College descended into chaos on Thursday evening, culminating in multiple arrests and physical altercations between demonstrators and police officers—including one incident in which an NYPD officer deployed a Taser to subdue a protester. As The New York Times reported, the disturbance reflects the heightened tension on college campuses nationwide, particularly in the wake of mounting pressure from the Trump administration to suppress growing unrest over Israel’s war in Gaza.

The day began with what appeared to be a relatively peaceful demonstration. According to the information provided in The New York Times report, students and faculty had assembled on campus grounds early in the afternoon, erecting four tents in symbolic protest and chanting slogans condemning Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Protesters waved signs reading “Save Gaza” and “Israel has no right to exist,” while others gathered in front of the campus’s Tanger Hillel House, which one speaker denounced as a “Zionist institution.”

College administrators and campus security officers initially engaged with the protestors by warning that the erected tents were in violation of school policy and would need to be removed. As tensions simmered through the afternoon, the crowd appeared to heed the warnings. Two tents were taken down voluntarily, and demonstrators began filtering out of the school’s gates around 6 p.m., seemingly signaling the conclusion of the event.

However, the situation took a sudden and violent turn as the crowd moved through the college’s wrought-iron gates and into the surrounding streets. According to video footage reviewed by The New York Times, several small scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police officers. Officers reportedly entered the crowd and began making arrests—some forcibly, with witnesses claiming that people were punched, kicked, or slammed to the ground before being handcuffed.

In one scene, a man was brought down by several officers. As onlookers shouted in protest, one officer removed a Taser from his belt, aimed, and discharged it. A loud pop rang out, and wires were seen dangling from the man’s pants as he was led away. Multiple ambulances arrived on the scene shortly thereafter, though officials declined to disclose whether any injuries were sustained.

Germany 1939? Nope, @CUNY Brooklyn College 2025. I’m not going to rest until EVERY SINGLE PERSON responsible for this is held to account — FROM THE TOP DOWN.

Get ready @ChancellorCUNY. pic.twitter.com/d1fc4t2XpV

— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) May 8, 2025

The NYPD confirmed to The New York Times that Brooklyn College officials requested law enforcement assistance shortly before 5 p.m., citing violations of campus policy. However, police declined to comment further on the physicality of the arrests or the use of a Taser. The number of individuals taken into custody remains unclear as of Thursday night.

Brooklyn College issued a statement defending the response. “The safety of our campus community will always be paramount,” said spokesman Richard Pietras. “Brooklyn College respects the right to protest while also adhering to strict rules meant to ensure the safe operation of our university.”

🚨 Protestors at Brooklyn College are getting ARRESTED and TAZED…

ANYBODY who does NOT like America should be deported to whichever country they like..🚨

This are finally changing – GET THEM OUT pic.twitter.com/0l8oDzUV4q

— I Stand With Israel. (@martinsengland) May 9, 2025

The college maintained that the protesters’ decision to erect tents was in direct violation of institutional regulations, and that security and law enforcement officers had issued “repeated warnings” before taking action, as was reported by The New York Times. The decision to escalate the response followed what school officials described as noncompliance by demonstrators, prompting officers to intervene and “disperse the crowd.”

Later in the evening, students received an official email from the college, alerting them that the campus would be closed for the remainder of the day. “Anyone who leaves will not be permitted to return this evening,” the email read, as per The New York Times report.  Evening classes were either moved online or canceled outright.

Mass arrests of pro-Palestinians on Thursday at Brooklyn CUNY College.

Protesters got violent, NYPD pushed back and arrested them.pic.twitter.com/2lcCbQQvv9

— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) May 8, 2025

The unrest at Brooklyn College came just one day after a dramatic standoff at Columbia University, where pro-Hamas agitators occupied the university’s Butler Library, prompting swift police intervention and the arrest of 80 individuals. The New York Times emphasized that both incidents demonstrate how academic institutions are grappling with a complex political moment, navigating the rights of students to protest against what they see as Israeli aggression in Gaza, while also maintaining campus order under increasing political scrutiny.

According to the report in The New York Times, the Trump administration has exerted significant pressure on university leadership to clamp down on blatantly anti-Israel activity, particularly in light of the October 7 attacks and Israel’s subsequent military campaign. In recent weeks, federal officials have threatened to withhold funding from institutions accused of fostering antisemitic environments—a threat many administrators have interpreted as an implicit directive to quash anti-Semitic activism.

BREAKING: Tazer Deployed, Arrests and violent Clashes outside of Brooklyn CUNY College after NYPD raided ‘Liberated Zone’ Encampment inside. pic.twitter.com/ahLYHEtOEn

— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) May 8, 2025

While many demonstrators insist their message is grounded in humanitarian concern and opposition to Israeli policy, critics argue that these protests have frequently veered into antisemitism, creating hostile environments for Jewish students. “We must distinguish between legitimate criticism of a government’s actions and the denial of a people’s right to exist,” said one faculty member who spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity.

🚨 HAMASNIKS SEEKING JUDENREIN AT @CUNY BROOKLYN COLLEGE ATTACKING THE HILLEL HOUSE!!! 🚨

What the hell is going on @ChancellorCUNY???

Video credit: Jewish student C. Levin pic.twitter.com/BSmimpNcjI

— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) May 8, 2025

Brooklyn College now joins a growing list of American campuses roiled by protests, crackdowns, and an atmosphere of distrust. As events in Gaza continue to unfold and college students increasingly take to public spaces to voice dissent, the challenge for administrators will be to maintain the delicate balance between free speech and institutional control. For now, Thursday’s clash at Brooklyn College calls attention to just how fragile that balance has become.