HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Friday criticized the arrest of students by the New York Police Department (NYPD), who were staging a pro-Palestinian sit-in at Columbia University a day earlier.

"As a matter of principle wherever we have seen demonstrations, we believe that people have an inherent right to demonstrate peacefully," said Stephane Dujarric in response to a question by Anadolu reporter during his news conference.

A crowd of students on Wednesday defied the order to disperse, sitting on the ground and locking arms.

In a letter to NYPD Deputy Commissioner Michael Gerber, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik said all of the students who participated in the demonstration were told that they have been suspended and she claimed the sit-in "raises safety concerns for the individuals involved and the entire community."

Several students were led to NYPD vans and were transported off campus.