Hundreds of students at NYU hosted and joined demonstrations and commemorations across campus on Monday, one year after Hamas’ attacks on Israel. The attacks, as well as Israel’s subsequent ongoing siege in Gaza, incited a year of on-campus protest and contention that had culminated in encampments, policy changes and dozens of student and faculty arrests. 

Yesterday afternoon, more than 300 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at Garibaldi Plaza in Washington Square Park, met by around 50 pro-Israeli counterprotesters. When the demonstration began at 3 p.m. after student organizations called for a walkout, around two dozen New York City Police Department personnel in riot gear formed a barrier between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters. 

At the park, a member of the School of Law’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine called on the university to divest from companies with ties to Israel and shut down its study away site in Tel Aviv. Three other members of LSJP reiterated the demands in speeches and led chants such as “NYU, we know you, you imprison students too.” The counterprotesters, which included members of NYU’s chapter of Students Supporting Israel, waved flags and chanted “Bring them home” — while pro-Palestinian protesters chanted “free Palestine” and “disclose, divest.” A university spokesperson had previously told WSN that NYU is not considering divestment.  

NYU sent a Campus Advisory message during the demonstration, advising students of “traffic” and to use “caution” while moving around in Washington Square Park. The university had warned students in an email last Wednesday of demonstrations and rallies “in the coming days and weeks,” noting that the precautionary measures were made at the request of community members who attended listening sessions over the summer. The listening sessions — which NYU President Linda Mills called “the only way forward” on campus — also prompted widely criticized changes to the university’s student conduct guidelines, that now cite “code words, like ‘Zionist,’” as examples of potentially discriminatory speech. 

“It’s especially important to be here at NYU because we see the censorship that’s happening,” an NYU student, who asked to be anonymous due to safety concerns, told WSN. “We see how they’re trying to dox and silence people, and we cannot let Palestine die.”

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Washington Square Park joined hundreds who had marched from City Hall, and continued uptown along University Place. Upon reaching Union Square, Nerdeen Kiswani — a New York City-based activist who organized the demonstration — addressed the group and invited attendees to pray on an enlarged Palestinian flag while a smaller, separate group burned a paper-mache pig in a police hat.

In a march spanning seven blocks, demonstrators left Union Square and continued up Park Avenue. At Grand Central Station, NYPD officers redirected protesters toward the New York Public Library where they were met by another group of counterprotesters. Outside the library, at least three elderly women were arrested, two of whom were dragged off to the sidewalk. Demonstrators continued to Madison Square Park, before returning uptown to Times Square and Columbus Circle. 

The day demonstrations took place, NYU Hillel hosted a series of commemorative events at the Bronfman Center, including a morning prayer, the opening of an exhibit examining Israeli artwork responding to the war and a student film screening. In the evening, students traveled to Central Park for a community-wide commemoration of the Oct. 7 attacks, where Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams spoke.

One year ago, Hamas — the Palestinian militant group controlling the Gaza Strip — launched an attack on nearby Israeli towns, resulting in the killing of around 1,200 civilians and taking of more than 200 hostages. Israel’s year-long siege and ongoing bombardment in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, wounded nearly 100,000 and displaced 1.9 million. Its most recent invasion in Lebanon has killed more than 2,000 civilians and displaced roughly 1.2 million.

Last semester, dozens of students, faculty and alumni were arrested after NYU authorized the NYPD to sweep two pro-Palestinian encampments in Gould Plaza and outside the Paulson Center. On-campus student groups have continued to call on the university to divest from Israeli-backed companies, shut down its study away site in Tel Aviv and pardon students facing disciplinary action for participation in pro-Palestinian protests. 

NYU SJP and SSI did not respond to requests for comment.

Contact Samantha Hong and Vasily Belousov at [email protected].