Palestine supporters rushed into the CUNY Graduate Center Tuesday night and hunkered inside for an hours-long occupation in protest of both the ongoing war in Gaza and the previous arrests of demonstrators at other universities around the city.
The standoff between faculty and students lasted well into the night as both parties refused to budge regarding negotiations. Surrounded by a college redecorated in support of Palestine, amNewYork Metro watched the dramatic demonstration unfold.
The May 14 occupation began when protestors gathered on 34th Street Herald Square, fuming over the heartbreaking images coming out of Gaza, depicting children buried under rubble amidst the ongoing bombing of Rafah.
“Israel continues to displace thousands of Palestinians from Rafah,” one protester said.
After rallying in the shadow of Macy’s for over an hour, the large group marched through the streets, trailed closely by a legion of NYPD officers. Zigzagging, they marched to the CUNY Graduate Center, located at 365 5th Avenue. There, a band of students, concealed by a sea of fellow protestors, burst into the college’s main lobby at around 8 p.m. and swiftly began unfurling banners and chanting as the school security panicked.
Hundreds more supporting the protest stood outside the premises pounding on the glass doors, causing public safety officers to lock the entranceway in an attempt to prevent any further intrusions.
Meanwhile, the students hung Palestinian flags from the support columns, taped signs to the windows and walls, and placed a sign on the entrance reading “The Islamic University of Gaza Library/ Al Agsa University Library,” which was destroyed in recent bombings.
With the lobby under their control, the students gave a list of demands, including divesting $8.4 million from weapons, tech, and surveillance companies from Israel, and for the school to drop all charges against students who have been arrested while protesting that cause.
“As the largest Black and Brown public university system in the US, we have a special responsibility to our colonized brothers and sisters in Palestine, because we know our liberation is connected,” organizers said.
During the occupation of the lobby, protesters sat behind the security booth, draped the Palestinian flag over the desk, and chanted while waiting for a reply from the school. They also joined in reading the names of over 90 Palestinian professors killed in the conflict.
After several hours of negotiations between students and CUNY Graduate Center President Joshua Brumberg, the school official agreed to email the administration asking for the charges to be dropped. He further conceded by giving occupying protesters immunity from the night’s acts. After agreeing to these terms, the protesters left the building where they were cheered.
No arrests were made as a result of the incident.
