SAEDNEWS: More than 100 NYU students gathered at Washington Square Park on October 7, calling on the university to end its ties with Israel in protest of the war in Gaza and the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories.
According to Saednews, The protest was organized by NYU Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) as part of a weeklong campaign in support of Palestine.
Participants chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” while journalists recorded the demonstration and police officers observed from nearby.
Some passersby joined the chants to show their support, while a small number of Zionists shouted at the demonstrators. However, the crowd largely ignored them.
Speakers from SJP, the Student Government Assembly, Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine at NYU, and Law Students for Justice in Palestine criticized the destruction in Gaza over the past three years and the ongoing occupation of Palestine, which they said has continued for 78 years.
They also accused NYU of contributing to the genocide in Gaza and the occupation of Palestine through investments in arms manufacturers, the operation of its Tel Aviv campus, and restrictions on pro-Palestinian expression at the university.
The demonstrators called on NYU to close its Tel Aviv campus, publicly disclose its investments, withdraw financial support from weapons companies and Israel, and stop restricting pro-Palestinian speech on campus.
After the speeches, protesters marched through the NYU campus, chanting, “One, we are the students! Two, we won’t stop fighting. Three, until Palestine is free, free, free, free!” They also shouted, “NYU, what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?”
Police officers closely monitored the march as it moved through the campus.
The demonstration ended with SJP inviting attendees to a vigil, which served as the concluding event of its weeklong Palestine solidarity campaign marking the beginning of the academic semester.
