In a developing story coming out of New York University, where more than 150 protestors were arrested last night for demanding that the university divest from companies that profit from Israeli apartheid, a spokesperson from NYU announced that the institution “supports individuals’ right to freedom of expression,” despite the fact that he was already on the phone trying to reach the National Guard.
“No one should be scared to express themselves on campus,” NYU spokesperson Larry Houston told reporters, while momentarily holding his phone to his chest. “As long as you ask us nicely beforehand so we can prepare for it and minimize any outreach it has. Otherwise, we will send the NYPD to arrest you, or worse.”
By “or worse,” many students believe that Houston was implying a fleet of armed soldiers to enforce university rules, since he was already on the phone with Governor Kathy Hochul, who recently deployed the National Guard into New York City subway stations in March.
The students at the Liberated Zone on NYU campus also expressed that these statements seemed to be a bit contradictory.
“NYU sent us all a follow-up email saying that they ‘support the movement’ we’re leading,” NYU student Lisa Perez told reporters. “But then they sent us another email immediately afterwards that said, ‘Watch your back, bitch,’ and ‘We aren’t afraid to call in the big guns,’ so we’re just receiving a lot of mixed messages at the moment.”
As of press time, NYU officials had invited Mayor Eric Adams to give a speech to students about the importance of only protesting while in compliance with the NYPD.
