An administrator at the School of Law threatened a group of students with disciplinary action for hosting a pro-Palestinian study-in at the law school library, the NYU Law Students for Justice in Palestine claimed in a Wednesday Instagram post.
At the silent demonstration, which LSJP said took place Monday, law students displayed signs on the backs of their laptops reading “NYU FUNDS GENOCIDE,” “NYU: DIVEST FROM DEATH” and “FREE PALESTINE.” In the post, the student group said an NYU Law administrator “disrupted each student’s peaceful study” with threats of disciplinary action for presenting signs with pro-Palestinian sentiments.
Michael Orey, an NYU Law spokesperson, said that in response to the library protest, the students were “individually reminded” of the university’s Guidance and Expectations on Student Conduct — which states that sit-ins are permitted on campus “so long as they do not disrupt or interfere” with regular operations or violate university policies, notably the Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment policies.
“We do not permit protest activity in designated academic areas, and that includes the Law Library in addition to our classroom spaces,” Orey said in a statement to WSN. “They were informed that if they did not comply with the policy that they could face disciplinary action, and what that process would entail.”
In October, administration at the law school told over 50 pro-Palestinian students that they “may be subject to disciplinary action” after refusing to relocate their sit-in from the NYU Law Library. Participants wore keffiyehs and carried signs reading “NO SCHOOL AS USUAL DURING GENOCIDE” and “ALL EYES ON NORTH GAZA.” Administrators started photographing the students’ IDs after they refused to comply, which a law school spokesperson had said is standard procedure when conduct policies are violated.
In the Wednesday Instagram post, LSJP called on NYU Law to disclose its investments in companies “profiting from war and militarism.” The group also demanded that the law school divest from weapons manufacturing companies with ties to Israel — which NYU had told WSN it would not consider.
“NYU Law continues to prove that its commitment to ‘global justice’ is a farce by silencing pro-Palestinian speech and continuing to fund Israel’s genocide,” the Instagram post reads. “We, as students, refuse to be complicit!”
The NYU People’s Solidarity Coalition did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Update, Dec. 5: The article has been updated with a statement from an NYU Law spokesperson.
Contact Aashna Miharia and Yezen Saadah at [email protected].
