Anti-Israel student protesters take over CUNY Graduate Center, rename it after bombed-out Gaza university

Allie Griffin, Larry Celona
·2 min read
Graduate students creating an encampment, putting up posters and chanting in the lobby of the CUNY Graduate Center, New York, during a peaceful protest in 2024.
Graduate students creating an encampment, putting up posters and chanting in the lobby of the CUNY Graduate Center, New York, during a peaceful protest in 2024.

Dozens of anti-Israel student protesters took over CUNY Graduate Center’s library Tuesday night and “renamed” it after a university in Gaza destroyed by airstrikes.

The demonstrators hung Palestinian flags as well as banners and signs inside the Mina Rees Library on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue with their new name for it: “The Al Aqsa University Library” — after the oldest public university in Gaza, which has been near-flattened by Israel’s bombardment of the territory.

“Disclose. Divest. We will not stop, we will not rest,” the roughly 30 students chanted as they stood and sat inside the building lobby, according to a clip shot by an independent video journalist.

The protesters are calling on CUNY to divest from Israeli-backed companies and to drop the charges against student protesters previously arrested. Brendan Rains
The protesters are calling on CUNY to divest from Israeli-backed companies and to drop the charges against student protesters previously arrested. Brendan Rains

Another 50 protesters stood outside the doors of the public university but were blocked from entering.

Inside the university building, the student protesters read the names of 94 Palestinian professors recently killed during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

CUNY Graduate Center President Joshua Brumberg met with the student protesters in the lobby to try to negotiate. Brendan Rains
CUNY Graduate Center President Joshua Brumberg met with the student protesters in the lobby to try to negotiate. Brendan Rains

Organizers said they took over the library building — and “de-occupied” it — as part of the push to demand CUNY divest $8.5 million from weapons, tech and surveillance companies “complicit in zionist settler-colonialism and genocide of the Palestinian people.”

The protesters are also demanding CUNY drop all charges against students who were arrested during a police raid on a City College encampment.

“From New York to Palestine, protesting is not a crime,” they chanted in the lobby. “From CUNY to Palestine, protesting is not a crime.”

“Disclose. Divest. We will not stop, we will not rest,” the roughly 30 students chanted. Brendan Rains
“Disclose. Divest. We will not stop, we will not rest,” the roughly 30 students chanted. Brendan Rains

CUNY Graduate Center President Joshua Brumberg met with the student protesters in the lobby to try to negotiate a deal.

The students said they would leave the building if he could meet two immediate demands — he publically back amnesty for all pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at any CUNY demonstration and he grant amnesty to all the protesters in the library Monday night.

But Brumberg only agreed to the latter, so the students remained, according to the organizers.

Several hours later, an agreement was reached and the protesters dispersed, a CUNY Graduate Center spokesman told The Post Wednesday.

“Last night a group of demonstrators entered the CUNY Graduate Center lobby to make a series of demands, which were enumerated in a message disseminated by the Doctoral and Graduate Student Council,” the rep said.

“After several hours of discussion, an amicable resolution was reached, and the demonstrators left peacefully.”

No arrests were made.