The Emerson arrests come as college protests have spread across the nation — sparking antisemitism against fellow Jewish students — with leading Jewish voices, including Patriots owner Robert Kraft, calling out anti-Israel “virulent hate” protests at his alma mater Columbia University.

Emerson’s new president, Jay Bernhardt, wrote Wednesday that the college supports “our community’s right to express their views through protest. However, they must do so in a manner consistent with the laws of the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” That statement was co-signed by the college leadership team.

Emerson Students for Justice in Palestine, an organizer, made a post on Instagram during the altercation, stating “URGENT SUPPORT NEEDED @ EMERSON ASAP POLICE ARE CLOSING IN, BODIES NEEDED.”

“They keep playing games and trying to intimidate students,” the group added. “We need community support ASAP for the rest of the night. NOW NOW NOW!”

In an interview with the Berkeley Beacon, Emerson SJP organizer Amrita Bala highlighted how she was released from a police precinct in Hyde Park early Thursday morning after being arrested.

“It was horrifying,” Bala said. “They just started ripping us from the crowd, throwing us down on the ground.”

The college made counseling and support resources available to community members seeking support on campus Thursday afternoon, Bernhardt wrote in an update. Staff and administrators were on scene during the altercation, and officials appeared at court and police precincts with students, he added.

“Emerson College recognizes and respects the civic activism and passion that sparked the protest in Boylston Place Alley in support of Palestine while also holding and communicating concerns related to the numerous ordinance violations caused by their encampment,” Bernardt wrote. “We also understand that clearing the encampment has significantly and adversely impacted our community.”

Around 20 protestors showed up to express solidarity with the students at Cambridge City Hall later Thursday afternoon, watched by six visible uniformed police officers standing at the entrance of the building.

Munira Fleyfel, a Cambridge public school teacher, said that she’s proud to stand in solidarity with the students as an Arab Muslim who’s “always held the Palestinian cause close to her heart” and her daughter at UCLA is also participating on her campus.

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