New York City
A group of State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) students, faculty and community members assembled in New York City outside of the building where the SUNY board of trustees was holding its board meeting on June 3. They were outside to point out and condemn the SUNY board’s complicity in the genocide in Palestine as well as its ties to the U.S. ruling class-led military-industrial complex.
Demonstration for divestment outside SUNY Board of Trustees meeting, New York City, June 3, 2025.Credit: Photo: SUNY BDS
The protesters held a people’s tribunal and a picket for Palestine for approximately two hours. No one from their contingent was invited to speak to the board. New York Police Department officers guarded the building to prevent pro-Palestine members of the SUNY and CUNY communities from entering.
At the end of the tribunal, organizers invited folks from the contingent to speak. This writer spoke as a representative of the contingent from the Buffalo community, addressing some of the ethical questions facing the students of today, as well as solidarity between the LGBTQIA2S+ community and nationally oppressed communities. The talk is on the Workers World Party Youtube channel.
After all the speeches wrapped up, the group marched towards Grand Central Station. Several police officers followed the marchers, both on foot and in undercover vehicles. When the contingent arrived at Grand Central, people began chanting for divestment from Israel and for the liberation of Palestine. In less than a minute, a dozen officers intercepted and threatened to arrest the contingent if they did not leave. According to local activists, this was highly unusual, as protest actions have been occurring in Grand Central for decades with little to no resistance from police.
Leaving Grand Central, the contingent marched to the CUNY headquarters nearby where there was a short speech and set of chants recited. Once again, the group was tailed all the way there by police, both on foot and in undercover vehicles. At the end of this phase of the action the group split in two, with the Buffalo contingent leaving for logistical reasons and the local contingent heading over to the CUNY Graduate Center to support the CUNY students, staff and faculty who began a hunger strike for divestment on May 31. At the CUNY Grad Center, the people’s tribunal was repeated.
According to SUNY Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, as of this writing, for those who are in New York City there are pro-Palestine events at the CUNY Grad Center every day from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. There is an open call for anyone who has ever attended or graduated from a SUNY or CUNY school to sign and share the BDS petition, which is linked on SUNY BDS social media: linktr.ee/sunybds.
Daphne Barroeta is a student at SUNY Buffalo.