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.