Pro-Palestine Protesters Arrested from Encampment at NYU Stern Gould Plaza

Over 150 students and faculty were arrested Monday following a pro-Palestine protest at NYU Stern’s Gould Plaza. The protesters set up an encampment similar to that of Columbia University which has overtaken the campus and caused over 100 arrests by the NYPD. 

A copy of a letter written to NYPD Brass by NYU administration was posted to twitter by NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Kaz Daughtry. “At this point, we consider all protesters occupying Gould Plaza to be trespassers and we would like the NYPD to clear the area and to take action to remove the protesters,” the letter read.

The NYPD came to the plaza in riot gear and placed protesters in zip ties before escorting them out and onto correctional buses. The officers then formed a line in front of the plaza to block it off. 

NYPD officers formed a barricade around Gould Plaza to block protesters out.

Prior, multiple NYU professors, part of NYU faculty for Justice in Palestine, formed a human chain around the protesters to protect them from arrest.    

NYU professor joins the protest with a sign that reads “NYU faculty for justice in Palestine.”

The protest began Monday morning with about 50 protestors “without notice to the University and without authorization,” according to a statement sent out by NYU president Linda Mills and NYU spokesperson John Beckman. Protesters were given until 4 p.m. to clear out the plaza without facing consequences. According to the statement, the university closed access to the plaza with barricades, but that didn’t stop more protesters from breaching the barrier, many of whom the university believes are not affiliated with NYU.” 

Protesters set up tents in NYU’s Gould Plaza, imitating Columbia University students’ pro-Palestine encampment.

“This breach was in violation of directions from Campus Safety Officers and in violation of multiple university rules,” the statement read. “‘This development dramatically changed the situation.” “We also learned that there were intimidating chants and several antisemitic incidents reported,” they said. 

According to student witnesses, chairs were thrown and a fire was set by the protesters, escalating the situation further. 

The protest took place on the eve of Passover, with protesters chanting “Dayenu,” a word seen in the Passover Haggadah, the prayer book used during the Passover seder. It is a Hebrew word which means “enough” in English. During Passover, it means that if God had only done one thing for the Jewish people, it would have been enough. During the protest, however, the word took on a whole new meaning. 

Other chants at the protest included “NYPD KKK” and “Shame on you.” NYU’s student group, Students for Justice in Palestine took to Instagram with several other pro-Palestine groups such as NYU Palestine Solidarity Coalition to express their disappointment in NYU for the arrests. Their caption likened the NYPD to the KKK and the IDF: “NYPD. KKK. IOF. THEY’RE ALL THE SAME.” 

Dean Raghu Sundaram, the Dean of Stern, sent out a statement this morning. The Dean said that the gathering created severe disruption on campus and caused community members to feel unsafe. “This was, in the end, the only way to find resolution,” he said. 

Another protest is set to take place today, April 23 at 1 p.m., according to the same Instagram accounts. The protest, labeled as a walkout and strike, will meet in Washington Square Park today. The groups are calling for “jail support,” urging people to demand NYU to protect students’ rights and to “call off the NYPD.”

NYU spokesman John Beckman did not immediately respond to request for comment.

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