Apr. 25, 2024 By Iryna Shkurhan
As Pro-Palestinian encampments emerged at over a dozen college campuses across the country following in the footsteps of Columbia University, local elected officials pushed out statements in response.
The “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” built on the campus’s south lawn, drew strong voices of support, as well as objection, from Queens representatives. Many also commented on the arrests of hundreds of students, and some faculty members, after the NYPD swarmed both Columbia and NYU at the behest of the University presidents.
Elected officials who represent Queens districts have expressed viewpoints far from uniform. Those officials who have repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza are standing in solidarity with the students who are calling on their universities to divest funds from Israel. They support the students, who say they will not shut down the peaceful protests until their colleges concede to their demands, including amnesty for protesters.