CUNY Palestine Protesters Vow to Continue Fighting Felony Charges
On April 30, the NYPD made national headlines when it raided and shut down Columbia’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment
Of the 28 hit with felony charges, nine have received full dismissals, five have taken plea deals, six who were belatedly identified are being tried separately, and the final eight are refusing any plea deals, taking their cases to trial.
The eight of the CUNY 28 who have refused plea deals with the District Attorney’s office had their second arraignment at 100 Centre St. on Tuesday. They pleaded not guilty to the charges of third-degree felony burglary, and their trial has been postponed to Dec. 16.
In advance of Tuesday’s arraignment, the CUNY students held a press conference.
“We’re fighting our charges not only because we do not recognize the state’s claim to authority over our actions, but also because we believe that challenging these charges is a necessary stand against an unjust system that seeks to silence dissent and criminalize resistance,” the CUNY 28 said. We’re not just fighting for a free Palestine, but for the liberation of all. We fight for ourselves and our communities.”
On April 25 hundreds of students raised the Palestinian flag on the CCNY campus and set up an encampment, making five demands of CUNY: divest and disclose all investments in the zionist occupation of Palestine, enact an academic boycott of Israel, protect CUNY students and faculty who’ve expressed their solidarity with the Palestinian liberation struggle, demilitarize CUNY — remove the NYPD and members of the Israeli military from CUNY’s campuses and end collaboration with the ROTC, CIA and Homeland Security — and reinvest into a People’s CUNY.
“The CUNY 28 attempted to answer the call made by the steadfast Palestinian resistance: to escalate from within the belly of the beast,” a speaker for the 28 said on Tuesday.
In the early evening of April 30, protesters had begun to occupy the Howard E. Wille Administration building on CCNY’s campus, responding to a call made by Columbia and Yale encampment participants to occupy further buildings in order to win student demands.
After occupying the administrative building, protesters were pepper sprayed, and the police kettled the encampment. The NYPD and Strategic Response Group cops employed tasers and beat protesters with batons, resulting in broken bones and teeth, a response that the CUNY 28 say was even more violent than the Columbia raid.
“Anyone that chooses to play the role of a pig is the enemy,” the CUNY 28 said. “Since the violent escalation by CUNY and the pigs, all 22 were charged with third-degree felony burglary, a clear representation of state repression against those of us who choose to act against genocide.”