More than 50,000 New Yorkers joined together at Washington Square Park Saturday as heavy rain poured down to protest Israel’s recent invasion of Rafah and demand a ceasefire in Palestine. The protest was endorsed and organized by 60+ pro-Palestine organizations.
Multiple Students for Justice in Palestine organizations, including The New School, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Pratt University, Cooper Union, and the School of Visual Arts chapters joined the large crowd.
Throughout the protest, the New York Police Department surrounded the area in riot gear, as did officers from NYPD Legal. ACLU Protest Monitors were also present.
Thousands of protesters gathered around the Washington Square Park arch at 1 p.m., listening and cheering on speakers such as American actors Sara Ramirez and Susan Sarandon, American poet Aja Monet, and NYC costume designer Qween Jean.
Additionally, four students spoke as representatives of SJP chapters across New York and New Jersey. “To our universities and Kathy Hochul, know that we are here to stay. To fight for divestment and to fight alongside Palestinians for their liberation means more to us than any intimidation tactic,” the students said.
NY Governor Kathy Hochul has been under heavy scrutiny by the pro-Palestine movement for insensitive remarks she made in a speech on Feb. 15 — which she has since walked back.
The students also criticized their respective university administration’s lack of support towards SJP organizations.
“I gotta say at Columbia, it’s been pretty bad. They banned Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace from our campus. There is a lot of fear of retaliation,” said Sumanth, a graduate student at Columbia, who only stated his first name due to safety concerns. “They invest their endowment in Israeli companies, so it’s very clear that they have an institutional bias towards Israel.”
At around 3:30 p.m., the protesters began to march onto 6th Avenue, starting from West 4th Street, and ending at 42nd Street. As the crowd marched, they blocked off and shut down 6th Ave., chanting, “Free, Free Palestine, New York City, you will see Palestine will be free,” while NYPD officers followed.
The crowd stopped at the New York City Public Library, crowding around the entrances and wrapping around the entirety of Bryant Park. Protesters stood on the steps, on top of bus stops, and placed Palestinian keffiyehs on the library’s famous lions.
The crowd stayed at the library until about 5:30 p.m. when NYPD officers began to make dozens of arrests in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
“I’m here because my entire life I have heard about Palestine. I’m very closely connected to my culture, and all the strife that the Middle East deals with in the hands of the US, and the hands of the West,” Yazmin, an Egyptian American protester, said.
After the protesters dispersed from the library, the New York City Palestinian Youth Movement and other protesters gathered at One Police Plaza at 6:30 p.m. to provide jail support for those who were detained at the protest.
Unfortunately brainless idiots
Our colleges are a disaster.
I joined with the struggle for the support of free palestine.
Biden is turning his head like linda blair on the exercist. This is bit right. Agreed what hamas did wasn’t right either. The war should have ended a long time ago.
To risk their lives, and, possibly the lives of the officers protecting their civil rights in March, could be a very dangerous act on the part of the protesters. Imagine, if you will, the numbers of flu, pneumonia, and even Covid-19, makes me wonder on earth how the hospital workers, worried parents and rescue workers will cope with this once they decide to disperse. Students should be studying. Fran Copeland, R.N., former New York State EMT.
These protesters are just ignoramuses.
On Oct 6th there was no fighting. On Oct 7th Hamas committed massacres of murder rape and mutilation. After Israel left Gaza, the Palestinians elected the terrorist group Hamas as their government. Making Hamas
responsible for all the deaths on both sides.
Hamas uses it’s own people as human shields, they store guns, ammo and rockets in hospitals, schools and homes. Which makes Hamas guilty of war crimes and these structures become legitimate targets per the Geneva Convention. Hanas uses children and ambulances to plant bombs and carry weapons. If Israel wanted to wipe out Gaza it could have done do in less than a week.
Hamas teaches elementary school children to want to kill Israelis, Jews and Christians. When Israel left Gaza, Hamas targeted civilians in Israel for years with rockets, another war crimes. Since 1948, the Arab population increased 6 times ! Arabs can vote, they are doctors, lawyers, professors and politicians. Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East. If Hamas surrenders, let’s the hostages they kidnapped go the war would end today. Polls show the majority of the Palestinians support Hamas.
The Palestinians need to be deradicalized, like the US did with denazifyingvGermany after WWII. Also Israel does it’s utmost to reduce civilian casualties, they use laser and computer guided munitions. They drop leaflets, send texts and make phone calls before they attack a building. They created safe routes for civilians leave the war zone. But Hamas shoots at these civilian. White House spokesmann John Kirby said, iIsrael is going more to prevent civilian casualties, then even the US would !