NYU’s ‘wall of shame’ mocked by students as Palestine protests spread to Harvard

The tension between students and administrators at New York University (NYU) reached a boiling point this week as the university constructed a wall to block anti-war demonstrators from occupying key campus areas. The move drew ridicule and outrage from students and passersby, highlighting the ongoing wave of student protests against Israel’s war on Gaza that has swept across campuses in the US.

The situation escalated further as students at Harvard University in Massachusetts launched an encampment in solidarity with Palestinians, demanding financial transparency and divestment from companies profiting from the Israeli occupation. This action marked the latest in a series of student-led protests at over 30 universities, with more campuses signaling their intention to join the movement against war and the military-industrial complex.

At Brown University in Rhode Island, 80 students pitched tents and tarps on the main green, joining the growing student movement calling for an end to institutional complicity in Israel’s actions in Gaza. Meanwhile, at the University of Texas at Austin, hundreds of students staged a walk-out and occupied the school’s south lawn, leading to several arrests by state troopers.

The scene at Columbia University was equally charged, with negotiations breaking down between students and administrators, leading to fears of a police raid on the encampment. Eventually, students agreed to remove some tents and ensure only Columbia students remained at the site.

Back at NYU, the fallout from the university’s actions continued to unfold. After calling in the NYPD to dismantle an encampment where over 120 students and faculty were arrested, administrators erected a wooden wall blocking entry to the Stern School of Business. The move was met with immediate ridicule and criticism, with students and onlookers expressing shock at the university’s response to free speech.

The construction of the wall symbolized the university’s handling of discussions around Palestine and Gaza, with students recounting a culture of intimidation and fear on campus. Many expressed disappointment in NYU’s actions, with one student noting that “there is no wall — physical or rhetorical — that can conceal the abject moral failure” of the university’s repression of student voices.

As the situation continues to unfold, students remain determined to push back against what they see as attempts to stifle their activism and silence their calls for justice. The actions of universities like NYU have sparked a broader conversation about the role of institutions in addressing global conflicts and the rights of students to engage in peaceful protest and advocacy.