The NYPD began clearing out pro-Palestinian protest encampments on both New York University's campus and The New School's campus Friday morning, and made arrests after both universities requested their assistance, authorities said.

According to the NYPD, 13 people were arrested at NYU and 43 were arrested at The New School.

In a letter addressed to the NYPD that NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry posted a screenshot of on social media, an unknown NYU official, whose name was redacted in the post, wrote that protesters had been demonstrating against the war in Gaza on NYU’s Greene Street Walkway for the past six days, since April 26.

"We request that the NYPD take action on Friday, May 3 at or about 6:00 a.m. to remove the trespassers and the materials creating the encampment," the NYU official wrote to the NYPD. "In the event the protesters do not vacate the site voluntarily, we request the NYPD take enforcement action accordingly up to and including arrest."

Around 9 a.m., NYU officially released a statement confirming they had asked the NYPD to assist in removing the encampment from the campus.

In the statement, NYU said "about a dozen" protesters were unwilling to leave the site of the protest and were arrested. 

"The encampment had become increasingly untenable for the NYU community and the neighborhood we inhabit," the statement said. “This was not about the content of the protesters' speech, but rather, about the nature of this protest, including the threat it posed to our community."

Daughtry also posted video footage of NYPD officers warning protesters to clear the area or face arrest.

Soon after the post about NYU, Daughtry posted a similar message to social media regarding the police operation on The New School's campus. That post included a screenshot of the letter the NYPD received from the school requesting police assistance, as well as two videos of NYPD officers on campus.

One video showed officers assembling at the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 13th Street, and another video showed officers inside the lobby of a New School building warning protesters they would be arrested if they did not leave.

Friday’s police actions came after nearly 300 protesters were arrested at Columbia and City College on Tuesday night, and after additional arrests at Fordham University on Wednesday night.