CUNY students set up pro-Palestinian encampment on CCNY quad
By Leon Sullivan
Photo taken by Leon Sullivan for The Campus
Updated 8:20 PM EDT, April 26, 2024
On the morning of Thursday, April 25, CUNY students, alumni, faculty, and other people affiliated with the coalition CUNY for Palestine established an encampment, similar to other protests on campuses across the nation, on the CCNY quad. Activists set up tents and put up banners along with the Palestinian flag on the flagpole in the center of the quad, and set up stations for distributing literature, food, and water.
Calling back to the five demands of the 1969 student takeover of CCNY, the organizers of the encampment, called the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, are asking for five changes to be made by the CUNY administration. A post made by the Instagram account @cunygse, representing the encampment, lists these as divestment from companies that produce weapons used by Israel, academic boycott, removal of NYPD and IDF presence from CUNY campuses, a statement of solidarity, and “a free CUNY,” with a return to a tuition-free CUNY and for CUNY to “adopt a fair contract for staff and faculty.”
In the afternoon, The Campus staff counted over 100 protestors at the encampment. Students, alumni, and faculty from several campuses were present. One Palestinian student from Lehman College, whose ancestors were chased from their homes in the depopulated Arab village of Jimzu during an attack by Israeli forces in 1948, said, “I never thought we would see so much solidarity, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.” One Jewish student from Queens College who is involved with Students for Justice in Palestine said, “People are trying to divide it as though it’s Palestinians or Muslims versus Jewish people, but in reality there’s a lot of overlap,” citing that a majority of their Jewish friends are also involved with pro-Palestinian activism.
CUNY students present stressed their disagreement with a number of CUNY’s policies and actions. One student from CCNY cited CUNY’s investments in Raytheon, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin, saying, “Our tuition is aiding in funding the 75-year occupation of Palestine.” Other students voiced discontent with CUNY’s lack of response, with one Queens College student saying, “It’s been very hard to get in contact with administration.” They added, “I’m angry with CUNY’s unwillingness to hear us out.”
Campus security and NYPD were also present, with the 138 St. and 139 St. gates being chained before noon. Security was also tighter than usual, with students from other CUNY campuses being required to sign in to gain access to CCNY’s buildings.
This encampment is planned to go on until the demands made by protestors are met by the CUNY administration.
