At approximately 11:10pm, New York State Police began arresting protesters at the pro-Palestine encampment at SUNY New Paltz. Police descended upon the campus after two days of occupation by student and non-student protesters, and after multiple ultimatums to disperse that were issued by campus officials. Our live update coverage has ended for now, please watch this space for a full report coming shortly.
Update [11:10pm]
Rokosz Most: The police are moving forward in slow increments. Waiting. Then moving suddenly to snatch one of the encampment protesters. The crowd is screaming. The police are calm considering the wall of outrage they are wading through. Chants of solidarity break out. The encampment protesters, siting with locked arms, waiting for their turn to be arrested, share water.
It’s a classic push, with police waiting on the left and right wings to prevent the line from being outflanked.
They’re scooping up those singled out for arrest as they go.
The crowd is not moving to intervene with anything other than angry shouts, and a sea of arms holding up their phones.
Police are taking pictures of protesters in the crowd.
Update [11:00pm]
Update [10:50pm]
Crowd is screaming, “We are your students!”
New York State Police continue to advance on protesters with wooden batons and K9 units.
Update [10:38pm]
Rokosz Most: Lt. Shaw of University Police has declared the assembly unlawful, a violation of state law. He says police may use crowd dispersal agents. Students are coming out of their dorms to watch.
The crowd is largely staying. Spectrum News has arrived.
The crowd is splitting up, shouting “Cops are coming!”
Police are marching in double file around the perimeter of the crowd. They begin marching forward with long wooden batons. K9 units are present.
Update [10:20pm]
Rokosz Most: A helicopter has started to circle the encampment. Its spotlight is now on.
State University Police have arrived in an SUV and are ordering everyone to disperse over a loudspeaker.
Update [10:05pm]
In an unverified report, Instagram account newpaltzstudentsforpalestine, which has been posting updates from within the protest throughout the day, claimed “over 50 state troopers” are now on campus. Protesters said they were presently locked arm-in-arm in a human chain.
Update [9:45pm] From HV1 reporter Rokosz Most:
An unverified report of State Troopers massing in Route 32 parking lot is making the rumor rounds within the encampment. The protest is peaceful. Numerous protesters fear an agent provocateur — a manufactured excuse.
Update [9:25pm]
Two unidentified drones are currently hovering over the encampment.
The Instagram account newpaltzstudentsforpalestine posted the following message to Instagram in the last few minutes:
“UPDATE: There are 40-50 cops in the Route 32 lot. They are not moving but meeting and have set [sic] 3-4 undercover. We are signing [sic] and chanting in a circle holding strong.”
A previous post on the Instagram account proclaimed: “The administration has asked us to leave at 9. We are here for a free Palestine and will not leave until our demands are met. We are protesting peacefully and will continue to do so.”
<em”>Update [9:15pm]
The crowd is getting bigger. Approximately 300 people have assembled in protest, joining in singing “solidarity forever.”
Update [8:55pm] From HV1 reporter Rokosz Most:
Sun gone. Last light over the ridge to the west. Crowd chanting. Clapping.
“Free Palestine.”
“The people united will never be defeated.”
Flash bursts from cameras. It’s starting to feel like a rock concert.
The crowd is defenseless.
Legislator Megan Sperry is here. She is also a SUNY New Paltz tenured professor.
Members of the encampment are discussing preparedness for tear gas and passing a flurry of rumors.
Update [8:00pm] From our reporter Rokosz Most on the ground right now:
The crowd has swelled to approximately 250 people. Some tenured professors sprinkled in there.
It’s a waiting game. Chants. Silence. Cheering. Silence. Echoes through Parker Quad, led through a bullhorn. A feigned calm among spectators. Regular student life also continuing, whereas the grassy area of the encampment is electric.
Rumors are spreading within the crowd that New York State Troopers will get involved, and that New Paltz police are coming at 9pm to clear the crowd. Community organizers are showing support. Former Ulster County Legislator Phil Erner is present.
Update [7:15pm] Protestors at the encampment have grown significantly in number and are now chanting in solidarity. The deadline for dispersal has been extended to 9pm by college representatives who spoke to the protesters.
Update [6pm]: Student (and non-student) protestors at the SUNY New Paltz pro-Palestine encampment have been told by campus administrators to disband by 7pm. Though arrests were not explicitly threatened, protesters were seen preparing for the possibility.
Yesterday, SUNY New Paltz students joined the nationwide trend of campus encampment protests to demand university divestment of military-related investments and a ceasefire in Gaza.
“We saw what was happening in Columbia and we were like, we have to act,” said Rae Ferrara, a SUNY New Paltz student. “And actually, it really sparked because last week we had a different rally where the university forced us off our campus. They told us we couldn’t organize here, and they threatened to hit us all with academic suspension or consequences if we didn’t.”
New Paltz students are urging their university to cut ties with Siemens, a company involved in infrastructure projects on campus but also engaged in contracts with Israel. This move comes hot on the heels of a confrontation that saw students threatened with academic sanctions for previous demonstrations.
In an Instagram post, the organization New Paltz Students for Palestine demanded the school “drop all academic sanctions placed on students as a result of their participation in the encampment.”
In an attempt to mediate the tense situation, SUNY New Paltz President Darrell Wheeler engaged directly with the protestors. Although he requested the removal of the tents, citing violations of the university’s conduct policies, he stopped short of demanding the students disperse, focusing instead on maintaining dialogue and steering towards de-escalation. The university’s firm stance against discrimination and violence remains clear, as they aim to navigate this wave of student activism without compromising the safety and integrity of the academic year.
A similar encampment sprung up Tuesday at Vassar College, with a group called Vassar SJP posting on Instagram, “We are here! We will not be leaving until our demands are met. Join us! And if you able, bring sleeping bags and tents.”
Reaction from the public was mixed, with some pledging solidarity for the cause, others criticizing the movement, and still others questioning the relative lack of student involvement in pressing domestic and local issues such as homelessness and the opioid crisis (each of which are estimated to kill more people annually in the US than the total number of people killed in the current Gaza conflict).
Unlike the Columbia protests which saw buildings and paths barricaded and occupied — preventing tuition-paying students from accessing their education and forcing Columbia to go remote — the New Paltz and Vassar colleges had plenty of open lawn for students’ tents to occupy. Activities included sign-making, first aid training, and media lessons.
The pro-Gaza university student protests have been obsessively covered by both mainstream and independent media, and are presently going “viral” as a trend among campuses across the country.
Join the family! 
