The city of New York has recently witnessed a new wave of student activism. Students from New York University (NYU) have joined numerous educational institutions across the globe in expressing their disapproval of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.
The current wave of student protests began with the Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine organization’s encampment protest at the Ivy League university on 116th Street. NYU students soon followed suit, setting up their camp outside NYU’s Stern School of Business on a Monday morning.
The NYU protesters voiced their disapproval of the Israeli campaign in Gaza. They were seen waving Palestinian flags and hanging signs that read “Honor the Martyrs of Palestine”.
“NYU must disclose its relationship with NYPD and remove their standing presence from campus,” – An excerpt from the protesters’ list of demands.
The NYU protesters, under the banner of the NYU Palestine Solidarity Coalition, have presented the university with a list of demands. These include:
- Disclosure and divestment of NYU’s finances from weapons manufacturers and companies with a stake in the Israeli occupation.
- Cessation of the NYU campus in Tel Aviv.
- Removal of “racist” NYPD officers from campus, who, according to the students, receive training from the Israeli military.
- Provision of “full amnesty” for students and faculty members penalized for their recent activism.
The NYU Stern School of Business, where the protest camp has been set up, is named after Jewish billionaire Leonard N. Stern. His family escaped from Germany in the 1920s. The annual cost of attending the Stern School of Business exceeds $60,000, not including an additional $18,000 for housing.
The NYU protest is part of a larger movement of student-led demonstrations against the Israeli occupation in Gaza. Universities across Manhattan and beyond have seen similar protests.
In October, first-year student Hafiza Khalique was suspended after she was identified in a viral video tearing down posters of Israeli hostages of Hamas at an NYU building. The incident occurred after the brutal Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and over 240 people being forcibly taken into Gaza.
As of now, NYU has not issued a comment in response to the protests or the list of demands presented by the students.
Just a day before the NYU protests, students at the New School had taken over a university lobby to set up its “Liberty Zone” at the Union Square campus. These protests, like the ones at NYU, were initiated in solidarity with the Columbia protesters.
The Columbia encampment was raided by NYPD officers in riot gear, resulting in the arrest of over 100 protesters. However, the students rebuilt the Columbia encampment less than 24 hours later, testifying to their resilience and dedication to their cause.
Reference: nypost.com