SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – As finals week approaches for college students across the country, hundreds are out protesting instead of studying. Over 20 colleges including Harvard, Columbia University and New York University are demonstrating ceasefire/pro-Palestinian protests this week.

At the University of Minnesota, a crowd of people are seen chanting, “We want justice we want peace!”

Over 200 people across the country have been arrested during Pro-Palestinian protests that are drawing closer to home.

Abby Turner from Miller, South Dakota is a grad student at New York University and says this week NYU held a solidarity encampment similar to Columbia University’s demonstration.

“I did not witness anything getting out of hand. But from every account that I’ve been hearing from my classmates, it was as soon as police began inserting themselves into the events, things kind of took off,” Turner said.

During Monday night’s protest, NYPD were making arrests.

Following that, plywood was used to board up NYU’s plaza.

“I feel more inconvenienced by the plywood wall than I did by the protesters because that plaza is a shortcut for me to get to another class,” Turner said.

Pro-Palestinian protests are being seen nationwide.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson took to Columbia University’s campus Wednesday in New York to issue this statement.

“The cherished traditions of this university are being overtaken by radical and extreme ideologies and places a target on the backs of Jewish students,” Johnson said.

However, Turner says from her experience, she hasn’t heard of any anti-Semitism throughout the demonstrations.

“Everybody who stands for the core principles of that event were not there to spread anti-Semitic rhetoric or anything other than standing in solidarity with the people in Gaza, and calling for divestment from the university,” Turner said.

Turner says as the war continues, she sees NYU continuing to exercise its First Amendment rights.

“It is so vital and this is terrifying because it seems like they want to take it away or somebody is trying to take it away,” Turner said. “These are just speaking in terms of protest that we’ve seen from large groups of people in the past few years. Even these are some of the most peaceful events that you can imagine.”

Columbia University announced they will be having remote classes for the rest of the semester due to the continued protests that have been ongoing since last Wednesday.