Students from The New School joined thousands of demonstrators in support of Palestine ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 26. Netanyahu’s arrival in New York City on Thursday morning sparked street protests demanding his arrest for committing genocide and war crimes in Gaza.
The protest, titled “NYC Students: Shut Down Midtown Against Netanyahu,” began at 4 p.m. The New School contingent demonstrated alongside other chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine including the City University of New York (CUNY), Fashion Institute of Technology, School of Visual Arts, Brooklyn College, and Hunter College.
The student groups congregated outside the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Birthright Israel Foundation headquarters, demanding the immediate expulsion of Netanyahu and his associates from the UN, along with a halt to Birthright’s recruitment efforts at these universities.
Wearing keffiyehs, waving Palestinian flags, and distributing stickers, the demonstrators chanted “Resistance is justified when people are occupied” and “There is only one solution, Intifada Revolution!”
The protest attracted a significant police presence, with multiple units from the New York City Police Department (NYPD), including Legal Matters, Community Affairs, and the Strategic Response Group standing a few feet behind the crowd.
“Giving Netanyahu a platform does nothing but give a genocidal maniac a chance to speak his words,” a TNS student told the New School Free Press. “We demand a ceasefire in Gaza and a complete stop to all arms sales to Israel and Netanyahu behind bars.”
A member of CUNY SJP, who was granted anonymity by the New School Free Press due to safety concerns, criticized the NYPD for their use of excessive force and aggression, in reference to officers present at the march wearing riot gear, wielding batons, and having their hands positioned on their firearms.
The student group then proceeded to the CUNY Welcome Center, and at 6 p.m., they united with a larger assembly alongside Within Our Lifetime (WOL) at Pershing Square. There, demonstrators confronted counter-protesters on the opposite side of the street.
“Terrorists” and “Anti-Hamas,” chanted two women waving the Israeli flag while another man shouted, “Suck my dick.”
Meanwhile, another demonstrator approached the counter-protesters chanting “Free Palestine,” prompting police intervention.
The Flood United Nations for Gaza and Lebanon action led by WOL initiated their march listing four demands — the prosecution of Netanyahu, the resignation of Mayor Eric Adams, the disbandment of NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, and the closure of NYPD’s branch in occupied Palestine.
By around 7 p.m., the crowd grew to over a thousand. With the NYPD leading the way, demonstrators marched along First, Second, and Third Avenue, where the Israeli Consulate, AIPAC, and Birthright Israel Foundation are situated.
The NYPD set up bike barricades at the intersection of York Avenue and East 62nd Street preventing the crowd from accessing the route for reasons unknown. Occasionally the demonstrators outmaneuvered and redirected their course; one demonstrator utilized honking signals to indicate the correct path.
By about 9 p.m., the crowd swelled outside The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Mayor Eric Adams and UN leaders had convened. A video shared on X showed officers blocking demonstrators with their bikes on the stairs of the Met, with one officer abruptly grabbing a demonstrator and pushing them to the ground, while another video captured two officers forcefully pinning a demonstrator to the ground and securing their hands behind their back.
The NYPD response resulted in one person being taken away in an ambulance. Officers threatened to detain anyone on the street but later proceeded to forcefully arrest demonstrators on the sidewalk.
The march eventually halted at 62nd Street and Park Avenue, just a block away from Loews Regency New York, the hotel where Netanyahu was lodged during his time in NYC. Hundreds of NYPD officers were stationed on the street, with a multitude of barricades, drones flying, and a checkpoint tent set up in front of the hotel.
Despite NYPD blocking entrances around Loews Regency, the crowd was able to reach the hotel and continued their demonstration.
The group dispersed around midnight, going to One Police Plaza to provide jail support for arrested demonstrators.