NYC: Thousands take the streets on October 7 for Palestine
New York, NY – Thousands took to the streets to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Palestinian resistance Operation Al Aqsa Flood. The people of New York have been marching militantly throughout the weekend, and on October 7 the last wave went block by block to mark the momentous event of resistance.
Protests began at 12 universities. Chapters of Students for a Democratic Society and Students for Justice in Palestine organized walkouts and rallies on their campuses. The students, many who had been involved in the encampments walked out of class chanting in support of the demands: disclosure and divestment from all companies aiding Israel in its genocide, cutting ties with all Zionist institutions, NYPD off their campuses, and protection of pro-Palestinian speech on campus with amnesty for all students who have been punished for their rightful activism.
Eb Ahmed of NYU SDS said during their speech, “We the students cannot sit around while our university maintains its ties to genocide. We must remain united and steadfast and resilient. We must take on this fight, for our Palestinian brothers and sisters. We must dare to struggle and dare to win.”
At noon, demonstrators began gathering at Wall Street where Within Our Lifetime called the action Flood New York to commemorate the day. Thousands gathered around a massive Palestinian flag and began marching. Within Our Lifetime had planned a total of seven stops where they would pick up protesters as they took over the city.
The students who had walked out of their classes had gathered at the third stop of the day – Washington Square Park. The park is right near NYU.
Led by multiple chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and SDS, the students drowned out Zionist counter-protesters, who were protected by the NYPD.
Chants of “Disclose, divest we will not stop we will not rest” and “Say it loud and say it clear, we don’t want no Zionists here” could be heard from all corners of the park.
A speaker from Kingsborough Community College stated, “We are here not just to express our sorrow and our outrage but to amplify the voices that have been continuously silenced.”
When massive wave of protesters from Wall Street arrived at Washington Square Park, the student contingent joined in their thousands.
They marched with Within Our Lifetime and hundreds of other organizations throughout Manhattan, dispersing once they reached Columbus Circle. Student organizers have promised that they will be back. They promised to continue the struggle until they win their demands and Palestine is liberated.