NEW YORK — Hundreds of protesters gathered at NYU on Monday in support of the Palestinians.
Police moved into an encampment on Gould Plaza, near the Stern School of Business, just after 8:15 p.m. and began dismantling tents and making arrests. Chopper 2’s Dan Rice reported that at least two dozen protesters were taken to four police buses. Meanwhile, protesters began throwing objects at the police.
“We stand with Palestine and we are in favor of the liberation of all people,” said one protester.
After police arrived, many protesters moved to West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village, not far from the Stern School of Business. Others carrying signs began marching peacefully in Lower Manhattan.
Earlier in the day, students flooded the school steps and were also joined by what appeared to be faculty members.
Several pro-Palestinian organizations gathered in solidarity. They also set up the aforementioned tents.
“Unity is power. We are all here united in support of Gaza and Palestine,” said student Carter Bui.
NYU officials said there was a breach in the barriers installed there. The security chief said: “We have witnessed disorderly, disruptive and antagonistic behavior which has undermined the safety and security of our community. »
Protesters say they want their demands met
The demonstrators were ordered to clear the square by 4 p.m.
“We want our university to recognize that a genocide is happening and that there are Palestinian students who deserve to feel heard, deserve to feel safe in their environment and deserve to have a university that denounces the genocide of their people,” one of them said.
“It’s really helpful to see that there are a lot of people from our school who support the movement and aren’t afraid of our school’s response,” said another.
In front of the gathering was a group standing with the flag of Israel. One of them only had one thing to say.
“There’s one side here and another side to the story. That’s the good side here. That’s all I have to say,” the person said.
Earlier today, CBS New York met with two people who disagreed – one pro-Israeli, the other pro-Palestinian – but they came together to have a constructive conversation.
“Ultimately, people who want the best out of the situation want the most peaceful and desirable situation for everyone,” said Jacob, an NYU student.
“I feel like a lot of people should come here more and if you don’t know what’s going on, find out first,” freshman Kimora Davidson said.
NYU: “We will continue to support individuals’ rights to freedom of expression”
NYU released the following statement Monday evening:
“Today’s events did not need to lead to this outcome.
“This morning, around fifty demonstrators began a demonstration on the square in front of the business school. This happened without notice to the university and without authorization. The university closed access to the square, put barriers in place and made it clear that we were not going to allow other protesters to join them as the demonstrations were already significantly disrupting classes and other operations at the schools around the square.
“Nevertheless, we took no action to clear the square at that time, as one of the university’s main goals was to avoid any escalation or violence. The university was therefore deeply disrupted when Early in the afternoon, new protesters, many of whom we believe were not NYU-affiliated protesters, suddenly broke through the barriers that had been set up on the north side of the square and joined. the others already on the square This breach constituted a violation of instructions from campus security officers and several university rules.
“This development has dramatically changed the situation. We have witnessed disorderly, disruptive and antagonistic behavior that has undermined the safety and security of our community, and demonstrated how quickly a protest can spiral out of control or people may be injured. At one point, we explained to the protesters that they had to disperse in an hour and that there would be no negative consequences.
“Nevertheless, many refused to leave. We also learned that there were chants of intimidation and several reported anti-Semitic incidents. Given the above and the security concerns raised by the breach, we requested the help from the New York Police Department Police urged those in the square to leave peacefully, but ultimately made several arrests.
“We will continue to support individuals’ rights to free speech and, as we have said since October, the safety of our students and maintaining an equitable learning environment remains paramount.”
Jenna DeAngelis
Grub5
