Although pro-Palestinian protestor Noah Stojanovic, 20, was among the 133 students arrested at New York University’s (NYU) Gould Plaza on April 22, he was back on the picket line at The New School for Social Research on East 16 Street on the afternoon of May 3.
Demonstrators were sparse due to a New York Police Department (NYPD) raid earlier in the day, where some 45 New School protestors were taken into custody at about 6 a.m. on May 3 and received Desk Appearance Tickets (DATs).
“It was a peaceful protest up until this morning when more than a hundred NYPD officers arrived while students were still sleeping at the encampment in the university and forcibly removed them,” Mr. Stojanovic told The Epoch Times.
The private research university is among the Manhattan colleges that have been plagued with pro-Palestine encampments since April.
Fifteen pro-Palestine protestors were arrested at Fordham University in Manhattan on May 1, while 173 were arrested at City College of New York (CCNY) on April 30 and 109 at Columbia University, where students and outside activists broke windows and doors to gain entry to Hamilton Hall. CCNY is the founding institution of City University of New York (CUNY).
A freshman studying psychology at the New School, Mr. Stojanovic wasn’t suspended after his arrest at NYU, but he wasn’t able to attend class today.
“At the moment, we have no access to any school resources because the NYPD has prohibited us from entering the building,” he said.
Student protestors want the New School to divest from companies in their endowment that is linked to Israel.
New School university officials negotiated with student protestors for many hours but the students would not budge, according to Dr. Donna E. Shalala, New School interim president.
“We offered a meeting with representatives of the Investment Committee and the students said no—even though we provided a confirmed date this month for the Investment Committee to consider a vote on disinvestment,” Dr. Shalala said in a statement online.
At NYU, an additional 13 protestors were arrested this morning after the NYPD cleared an encampment that obstructed the Greene St. Walkway adjacent to the Paulson Center located at 181 Mercer and Bleecker Street.
Willa Folmar attended the May 3, 2024, pro-Palestine protest to support the students at NYU. (Juliette Fairley/The Epoch Times)
Protestors returned to the scene on May 4 at 4 p.m. and began marching in lower Manhattan with police wearing riot gear in pursuit.
Willa Folmar came to the NYU protest to support the students.
“Everything is peaceful until the police show up to a protest, which indicates that we live in a military state,” Ms. Folmar told The Epoch Times.
The 31-year-old Brooklyn resident is worried that former President Donald Trump will be re-elected in November as a result of the youths involved in the pro-Palestine movement.
“The Democratic Party really has to do something to show they are listening to the youth because that’s the future of the party and the future of the country,” Ms. Folmar added.
Lance Bennett watches protesters at NYU on May 3, 2024. (Juliette Fairley/The Epoch Times)
Lance Bennett, 72, lives around the corner from the Greene St. Walkway protest location.
Although he can hear the drumming and chants, it doesn’t bother him.
“I came from the 60s era, so I don’t mind protests, but I don’t think it’s their right to tell the school how to invest,” Mr. Bennett told The Epoch Times. “The deal is I give you my tuition; you give me an education.”
Demands for disclosure and divestment from Israel began after an Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on southern Israel by Hamas.
In November 2023, Hamas released 105 of the 253 hostages they captured. This week, Israel offered a 40-day truce in exchange for the release of hostages. Hamas has yet to accept or reject the offer. Pro-Palestinian protesters contend that Israel’s response to Oct. 7 targeting Hamas in Gaza is an attempt to eliminate all Palestinians in the territory.
Pictured is 2023 NYU graduate Timothy Soro (center) attending the May 3, 2024, protest at NYU. (Juliette Fairley/The Epoch Times)
“What’s happening in this day and age is historical,” Timmy Soro, 23, told The Epoch Times “This is the first step of Palestinian liberation.”
Mr. Soro, a 2023 graduate of NYU, is Palestinian and has family who live in Israel.
“In a lot of the swing states, the Arab community is not going to vote for Biden,” he said. “I don’t know if Trump is a better candidate, but, as an Arab, myself as a Palestinian, I know for sure I don’t want Biden.”
Juliette Fairley is a freelance reporter for The Epoch Times and a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Born in Chateauroux, France, and raised outside of Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Juliette is a well-adjusted military brat. She has written for many publications across the country. Send Juliette story ideas at [email protected]
