Prosecutors in Manhattan dropped all criminal charges against dozens of pro-Palestinian student protesters during a hearing on Thursday, who were arrested in April after a sit-in and camping at a building at Columbia University in New York City.

The hearing held in Manhattan Criminal Court came after 7 weeks of Columbia University officials calling hundreds of armed police officers and armored vehicles to the campus in a strong response from law enforcement that was broadcast live on news channels.

The police arrested 46 protesters who were occupying Hamilton Hall at the university and cleared a campsite that had been set up for weeks in a nearby park, which inspired similar pro-Palestinian protests at universities around the world, according to Reuters.

All 46 protesters, who were arrested on the night of April 30 after around 8 PM from the seizing of the academic building, were initially charged with third-degree criminal trespass, which is a misdemeanor.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office stated that of the 46 students initially arrested, 15 defendants still face charges, according to CNN.

During their court appearance on Thursday afternoon, the district attorney said that the defendants had no criminal history, and that they would face internal disciplinary actions at Columbia University.

NBC News quoted a Columbia University official (who was not named) as saying that disciplinary procedures are ongoing, but he declined to comment further.

Stephen Milan, an attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, told the court that the protesters covered security cameras, and there is not enough evidence to prove that any defendant caused damage to property or harmed anyone.

The district attorney noted that none of the police officers were injured during the arrests, and none of the arrested students had any prior criminal history, and they all faced disciplinary actions, including suspension and expulsion by Columbia University.

Judge Kevin McGrath announced in the courtroom, where dozens of defendants and their supporters appeared wearing the keffiyeh that symbolizes support for Palestinians around their shoulders, that "all these matters have been rejected and closed in the interest of justice."

The protests at Columbia University led to similar protests being organized at dozens of American universities, where students called for a ceasefire in Gaza and demanded that their universities cut financial ties with companies related to Israel.