Recent protests at New York University (NYU) have led to significant tensions on campus, resulting in the arrest of approximately 130 protesters by the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
The protests, which largely focus on NYU’s affiliations and investments in relation to the Israel-Palestine conflict, have seen students and faculty alike demanding the university divest from Israeli companies and shut down NYU Tel Aviv. On Monday, April 22, an encampment had been established on Gould Plaza, outside NYU’s Stern School of Business, with students putting up tents and shouting pro-Palestinian slogans.
NYU issued a statement on the same day that the university’s aim was to “avoid any escalation or violence,” and they were “deeply disturbed” when protesters breached the barriers on Gould Plaza. NYU then issued an ultimatum, promising there would be no adverse consequences if the protesters left before 4 p.m. When many refused to leave, police moved in and took them into custody.
The tents were cleared out and a plywood barrier has gone up at Gould Plaza, with NYPD patrolling nearby. The next day, there was another protest at Washington Square Park and one near Mercer St. in lower Manhattan. Campus life seemed unaffected as students continued with their classes.
“I think the attitude on campus has definitely changed, but not necessarily my personal day-to-day life,” said Antonine Tran, a senior from NYU’s College of Arts and Science. “The big thing is that there’s a lot more attention being brought up on supposition.”
Regarding the long-term implications for campus policy, in terms of political activism, he continued: “I feel the response, including building that wall, sends a message to the future that the school isn’t necessarily supportive of certain demonstrations. Whether that is going to be for every demonstration, or only specific issues that the school wants to enforce on time, I’m not sure. But I don’t think this was going to deter anybody, just because of how much support I’ve seen.”
As for the impact that the protests have had on student relations, Vaishnavi, a freshman at NYU, reflects that although it was something that was “expected” – as waves of protests swept across Columbia earlier that day – it was still “a little scary,” especially for international students like her, who were still adapting to life in the U.S. She also expressed concern about NYU’s response, saying she was not sure if such extreme measures as putting up a wall was necessary. There was also no prior notice for the protest, according to her.
“Because there was so much NYPD. Even though I do support what they’re protesting for, the crowd was a little too much, just outside the campus,” Vaishnavi said, “The measures are really strict.”
Vaishnavi said she hasn’t observed any counter protests so far, but she did notice a letter from NYU Jewish faculty, saying that the protests are “not anti-semitic,” which she saw outside NYU’s Elmer Holmes Bobst Library.
“It’s not anti-Jewish, which basically is what they were claiming. I wasn’t really involved in this before the protests, and it gave me a lot of awareness about it. I think the Jewish faculty do not represent the whole Jewish community. They don’t really oppose the protests. They have some clashes with the dialogue from right-wing politicians.”
Although encampments have been cleared out for now, the presence of protests still linger. There are words written by chalk on the sidewalk near Gould Plaza, including “#voicing the unvoiced” and “Tear down the wall, free Palestine.” Students are also seen putting stickers on lamp-posts with pro-Palestinian slogans on them.
The protesters’ Instagram page pledges to persist in their fight until the university concedes. However, with the semester winding down and commencement on the horizon, NYU will undoubtedly bolster its security measures significantly. As of now, protests continue to unfold across university campuses throughout the U.S.
Featured image: Photo by Ian Hutchinson on Unsplash
Edited by: James Sutton
