The worldwide student movement of occupying university centers after the war in Gaza continues to spread in the US. Two weeks after a student occupation at the University of Rochester, students at NYU have taken the Kimmel Center for University Life. The "Take Back NYU!" coalition is currently occupying the third floor of the student center. Here is a live webcam and chatroom (the students have been taking the camera offline during some meetings):
Take Back NYU! is a broad coalition of over 20 students organizations with a broad array of demands ranging from tuition stabilization to financial transparency to university labor practices. The occupation represents the culmination of over two years of work. Among the coalition demands is the establishment of a student elected Socially Responsible Finance Committee that would investigate "all investments in war and genocide profiteers, as well as companies profiting from the occupation of Palestinian territories." In addition, the coalition is also demanding annual scholarships for 13 Palestinians students and that "the university donate all excess supplies and materials in an effort to rebuild the University of Gaza."
While their demands reflect a wide range of needs in the NYU community, its clear the students see themselves as part of the growing worldwide student movement. They explain in a solidarity statement:
We, the students of Take Back NYU! declare our solidarity with the student occupations in Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom, as well as those of the University of Rochester, the New School for Social Research, and with future occupations to come in the name of democracy and student power. We stand in solidarity with the University of Gaza, and with the people of Palestine.
Take Back NYU! describes itself as a "student-run coalition united by the dream for transparency, accountability, and democracy at NYU." Today in the US its clear the call for accountability and democracy has to include justice for Palestinians. (Adam Horowitz)
