A whole bunch of scholars, school members, and New York College (NYU) group members marched exterior of the college’s Elmer Holmes Bobst Library at round 12:30pm this afternoon, Could 3, after the varsity known as police to comb the second Gaza solidarity encampment at 181 Mercer Road at dawn. New York Police Division (NYPD) officers arrested over a dozen folks within the course of.
With a headcount of some 50 members earlier than police arrived, the encampment had been exterior of the Paulson Middle since April 26, 4 days after the April 22 sweep of the preliminary NYU encampment at Gould Plaza that noticed over 100 arrests.
Ready with posters, noisemakers, and out of doors voices, the protesters circled the sidewalk exterior of the library, chanting phrases akin to “Disclose! Divest! We is not going to cease we is not going to relaxation!” and different rally cries heard across the nation within the final month. Some individuals have been handing out literature calling on school and college students to decide to grade refusals and cancel exams outright in response to the police motion. Many hand-drawn posters instantly addressed NYU President Linda Mills, who has solely been in her submit since final July, for her determination to contain the police.
The motion was comparatively contained to the sidewalk with few police barricades, and there have been minimal interactions with counter protesters other than derogatory feedback mumbled by passersby and one incident during which a pro-Israel man pulled his automotive over to shout on the protesters by his sunroof earlier than he returned on foot minutes later to proceed heckling.
Two NYU school members who have been eyewitnesses throughout this morning’s sweep spoke with Hyperallergic in the course of the library protest, each stating that over 150 cops arrived exterior the Paulson Middle at roughly 6am. Paula Chakravartty, an affiliate professor of Media, Tradition, and Communication on the Steinhardt Faculty and member of the encampment negotiating committee, defined that the scholars have been sleeping of their tents when the police confirmed up and that some 30 members of the encampment left as a way to keep away from arrest.
Chakravartty mentioned that 14 folks had been arrested and that just a few have been launched already, however talked about that “one scholar who ended up in custody was not allowed to take their upkeep treatment,” and that one other scholar who wished to keep away from arrest “wasn’t allowed to get her pockets out of her backpack.”
“The police simply threw every thing into rubbish luggage and that was that,” Chakravartty mentioned.
Arang Keshavarzian, a professor at NYU’s Division of Center Jap and Islamic Research, corroborated Chakravartty’s account and added that “nobody resisted arrest,” however he seen that “no person had their rights learn to them, and the police have been rummaging by the ‘Folks’s Library’ and taking pictures of the books and different supplies.”
Reached by Hyperallergic, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Public Info Tarik Sheppard confirmed that 13 folks have been arrested on the NYU encampment however couldn’t say what number of have been affiliated with the college. NYPD declined to remark additional.
Hyperallergic has reached out to NYU for remark.
The sweep and arrests came about hours earlier than NYU Hillel’s “Shabbat for 2000” occasion this night on the Paulson Middle. Hillel Worldwide is a campus group that coordinates journeys to Israel by way of the Birthright program, amongst different actions, and college students throughout the US have voiced their opposition to this system in latest weeks.
Tonight’s occasion is predicted to attract numerous donors, amongst them investor and NYU alum John A. Paulson, who lately hosted a $50 million fundraising dinner for Donald Trump’s presidential marketing campaign at his Palm Seashore house.
The dismantling of the NYU encampment additionally coincided with the encampment sweep on the New Faculty that additionally came about early this morning, leading to 43 arrests. “The New Faculty has grossly did not reside as much as its legacy as an establishment of social justice and anti-militarism,” mentioned an announcement from the varsity’s College students for Justice in Palestine chapter. “The Gaza Solidarity Encampments at The New Faculty have been based on the demand for divestment, in a protest aligned with over 120 campus encampments nationwide, calling for Palestinian freedom, an finish to genocide.”
At NYU, Chakravartty mentioned, “there was a school vote of no confidence towards Linda Mills within the Gallatin Faculty” in addition to tons of of letters written by school and college students towards the calling of the NYPD.”
“So the truth that [NYU] would enlist them, for the second time inside ten days at that, makes it terribly clear that the administration has little interest in listening to its school and college students,” she mentioned. “They’re listening to John Paulson and others who’re nicely exterior of who represents the group of NYU.”
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