The encampment protests at Columbia University over the Israel-Hamas war have spread to other New York City college campuses, including New York University, where demonstrators on Monday morning set up tents outside one of the school’s buildings.

At least 50 protesters — including students and faculty — pitched tents in Gould Plaza in front of NYU’s Stern School of Business near Washington Square Park starting at 4:30 a.m.

According to social media posts by the group’s organizers, the protest’s demands include an end to the killing of Palestinians in Gaza, the closure of NYU’s Tel Aviv campus, and for the school to “divest its finances and endowment from weapons manufacturers and companies” that supply arms to Israel.

Protesters have over the last week set up similar encampments at The New School in Manhattan, Yale University and the University of Michigan. The actions show the increasing difficulties university administrators have in allowing students to protest while trying to prevent antisemitic speech and actions that make Jewish students feel unsafe.

The NYU demonstration comes five days after student-led protest groups took over the lawn at Columbia, spurring crowds of supporters and counter protesters to gather outside of the Upper Manhattan university. Chabad at Columbia University on Sunday shared videos to social media showing some demonstrators shouting harassing comments at Jewish students like “go back to Poland” — language that the White House, Mayor Eric Adams and many protestors at Columbia have denounced.

Columbia’s classes went virtual on Monday in what university President Minouche Shafik said was an effort to “deescalate the rancor there.”

NYU spokesperson John Beckman said in a statement the demonstration there “occurred without notice to the University,” but said in-person classes would carry on as scheduled.

Police officers cordoned off access to the Gould Plaza and monitored the groups gathered on the sidewalks.

“The University is committed to minimizing disruption to its academic mission; preventing escalation and violence; and precluding hate, harassment, or threats directed at any member of the NYU community,” Beckman said. “We are addressing this issue with urgency.”

NYU posted to social media shortly after 3 p.m. that additional protesters had crossed the barrier.

“You will need to clear the plaza by 4 p.m. If you leave now, no one will face any consequences for today’s actions — no discipline, no police,” the post said.

The encampment coincided with the start of Passover.

By late morning, several student protesters who set up tents on the plaza led chants as more than 100 supporters gathered on the sidewalk outside. Some held signs that read “Ceasefire Now.”

“We see the students are putting it all on the line, willing to sacrifice their scholarships, their classes, their graduations for Palestine [and] to end this genocide,” said Julie Norris a Bronx resident who was protesting from outside the NYU encampment . “So we’re all really inspired and holding them close to our hearts and want to support in every way we can. They’re sparking action all across the country.”

Several protesters inside the encampment said they would remain on the plaza until their demands are met, but declined to provide their names, saying they feared being publicly targeted and having personal information released by critics. Most of the demonstrators on the plaza wore masks and sunglasses.

Across the street from the encampment, a dozen Jewish students and supporters of Israel waved Israeli flags.

“We’re just showing support for Israel,” said business school student Celia Steinhauer. “We are Jewish. We are obviously staunch Zionists. We support our right to exist, our right to live in peace, to be safe.”

She said the protest — particularly certain chants — made her feel unsafe.

“We don’t feel protected by the university at this current moment given that they’re enabling this to happen.” She said an example was protestors’ calls to “globalize the Intifada.”

The word has been used in a contemporary context to “shake off” Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, but has also been used as a call for violence in opposition to Israel.