Anti-Israel chants erupted late Thursday at a pro-Palestinian encampment at City College of New York, where one passerby was driven away when a protester claimed she could “smell” he was a “Zionist.”
Concern about antisemitism at protests sweeping campuses around the nation has grown in recent days, sparking demands for university officials to act more decisively to dismantle the demos.
Protests at Columbia University and New York University have led to the arrests of more than 200. The State University of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology saw a small pro-Palestinian encampment pop up Thursday, following a similar demonstration at The New School.
At City College in Harlem, students have erected dozens of colorful tents around an American flagpole, where they also hung a Palestinian flag. “CUNY Students Resist Zionism” and “BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY,” signs read.
On Thursday night, protesters at the campus were seen booing a passerby and driving him away from the demonstration.
“I can sniff you, we can all sniff you,” one protester sneered at the man. “We can smell the Zionist on you.”
The protester told the Daily News the person she’d targeted was “frowning and recording” as he passed.
“I just could tell he was a Zionist,” said the woman. “They victimize themselves so quickly.”
Later in the night, chants like “Israel, go to hell!” broke out among the crowd of about 100, down from a peak of roughly 250 protesters.
“One, two, three, four — Israel no more!” demonstrators yelled in an inflammatory chant.
“Five, six, seven, eight — Israel, we’ll eliminate!” they continued.
Later on, demonstrators yelled, “We don’t want a Jewish state! We want ’48” — an allusion to the period before the founding of Israel.
Roughly 20 NYPD cops were seen scattered around the campus at the time.
CNN initially reported that university officials had been in touch with the NYPD, with plans to clear the encampment at about 5 p.m., but posted an update citing an unnamed law enforcement official saying “no action is imminent.” A call to the NYPD seeking clarification was not immediately returned.
“In solidarity with Palestine, while following the legacy of the CUNY student organizers that came before us, we have established the CUNY GAZA Solidarity Encampment at City College, the oldest campus from the City University of New York,” students wrote on Instagram.
CUNY students are calling for the university system to divest from Israel, ban partnerships and trips to Israel such as Birthright and Fulbright programs, reverse student and faculty disciplinary action related to pro-Palestinian activism and remove police from campus.
They also called on CUNY to release a statement “affirming the right of the Palestinian people to national liberation and the right of return,” and to make CUNY tuition-free.
“We demand a fully-funded, free CUNY that is not beholden to zionist and imperialist private donors,” the students wrote.
Throughout the afternoon, students shouted chants like, “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” Some of them were skipping their plans for spring break, which runs through Tuesday, to be at the encampment.
“Frankly, I can’t really relax in a time like this,” said Andrew Shapiro, a Ph.D. sociology candidate at the CUNY Graduate Center and part-time faculty member at Hunter College, who is Jewish. “I have not felt like I could relax comfortably, like I can be a student normally. Nothing feels normal as an ongoing genocide is happening, allegedly in my name.”
“People were away and they flew back in,” said Hadeeqa Arzoo, a student at City College. “They flew from home to be here, and I think that speaks volumes to what this means for many people.”
Arzoo, who’s majoring in political science and international relations, said the encampment at Columbia “really lit a fire under us” that could not be delayed until after the break. CUNY officials had not engaged in any negotiations as of Thursday afternoon, she noted.
“As of right now, we’re seeing what happens,” Arzoo said. “Because we’re not moving. We’re not gonna be intimidated into silence. We’re here.”
Meanwhile in Chelsea, students set up a similar encampment inside the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Demonstrators stormed into The Museum at FIT on W. 27th St. and Seventh Ave., Fox News reported. Video shows scores of people pushing through the doors, where a security guard worked to pull them closed but was overtaken.
“Free, free, free Palestine,” protesters shouted as they took over the lobby of the on-campus museum.
By early Thursday evening, about 60 protesters remained in the lobby, where tents and a sign stating “FIT Gaza Solidarity Encampment” were set up.
A student group said in a statement they’re calling on FIT to divest from Israel and provide amnesty from disciplinary action. Encampment rules include: “Do not under ANY circumstances talk with NYPD or media.”
The NYPD had not responded to the site as of Thursday evening.
“We are monitoring and managing the situation to ensure the safety of the entire FIT community, which remains our highest priority,” a FIT spokesman said in a statement.
At City College, a spokesman said Thursday afternoon it was in the process of determining if the protesters were affiliated with CUNY.
“While The City College of New York is strongly committed to the principles of freedom of speech and expression on campus, it is mindful of any action that may cause disruption to our community in any way,” the spokesman said in a statement.
“CCNY’s longstanding position is that any legitimate protest — by any group that is part of our community — must be peaceful, respectful, nonthreatening and devoid of any hatred or intimidation. It must also not interfere with any activities on campus.”
The encampment included a poster to “Support the Five Demands Viva Palestina,” resembling similar signage to “Support the Five Demands Viva Harlem U” in April 1969, when a group of Black and Brown students set up a tent demonstration to promote racial equity.
