This story was last updated at 11:40 p.m. Please check back for updates.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that out of the 15 protestors arrested, 13 were students and two were alumni. 11 students and four alumni were arrested. 

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 1, a group of over 20 Fordham University students set up an encampment in the Lowenstein Center lobby at the Lincoln Center campus. At 9:52 a.m., Fordham Public Safety issued a RamSafe Alert to the community via text, linking to a Public Safety alert posted on Fordham Now. The alert said there are no disruptions to classes or operations, but that the Lowenstein Center entrance would be closed for the safety of the community.

The May 1 protest at Lincoln Center occurred alongside other city protests for Palestinian solidarity in commemorating May Day, also known as International Workers Day. In New York City, a march and rally was held later that day in Foley Square at 1 p.m. Both Fordham’s demonstration and the Foley Square demonstration were publicized by @peoplesforumnyc on Instagram.

Communicating primarily through their Instagram page, the Fordham Students for Justice in Palestine (@fordhamsjp) called for students, faculty and community members to join the encampment in solidarity at 10 a.m. Around the same time, the New York City Chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement and other New York-based community organizations posted flyers online asking people to stand with Fordham students at 10 a.m. outside of Lowenstein. 

At around 7:30 a.m., protestors rushed the doors of Lowenstein’s main entrance and quickly began setting up camping tents. Signs on the tents read “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” and expressed solidarity with the Columbia University and City College of New York protests that were broken up the night before. Around 10 tents were set up in a row stretching from the Lowenstein lobby to the art gallery in front of the escalators. Protestors hung up signage, including cloth banners, streamers in the color of the Palestinian flag and posters reading “End Israeli Apartheid Free Palestine.” 

Public Safety officials and security personnel quickly responded to the encampment, which was directly in front of the Lowenstein Public Safety office. Protestors were told they could not set up tents due to a fire hazard and were told to clear the area. 

At roughly 8 a.m., soon after tents were set up, demonstrators began chanting. Students and protestors repeated, “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest,” and other chants such as “Free Palestine.” Three individuals stood across from the encampment with a small banner reading “SOLIDARITY.”

At around 8:30 a.m., a public safety officer repeatedly and forcefully urged demonstrators to show their student IDs. Encampers largely declined and did not engage, walking away silently. Security and Public Safety maintained some distance from the protestors, keeping to the wall across from them. 

Before 9 a.m., Public Safety officials began to monitor the stream of entry to the Lowenstein building, requiring ID to use the elevators and maintaining a stronger presence by the main doors. By 9:15 a.m., barricades went up outside of the plaza and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) had been summoned by Fordham administration to the scene. Exit and entry were still allowed in and out of Lowenstein.

At around 9:30 a.m., @fordhamsjp posted that blue tarps had gone up around the glass doors by the encampment. The tarp was later removed by protesters outside the lobby.

By 10 a.m., students from both campuses, faculty and other protesters from around the city began to form surrounding the Lowenstein entrance. The Lowenstein entrance to the encampment was blocked off by NYPD barricades early in the day. Students also gathered on the roof of the building to observe the protests. 

“I’m here to support the students that are in the encampment and make sure that any police brutality is videotaped,” said Stizzy Demacopoulos, FCRH ’24. “[I want] to let Tania Tetlow know that we’re not gonna stand down until they divest.” 

At around 1:30 p.m., members of the Fordham administration, including Vice President for Student Affairs Michele Burris and John J. Cecero, S.J., were seen speaking to the people in the encampment. The protesters were told they had an hour to leave or they would be suspended and arrested.

“I just feel so horrified by how students are being treated when they stand up for justice,” said Alice Sturm Setter, a nurse practitioner and member of Jewish Voice for Peace who attended the protest. “Students have come out stronger than any of us — I’m so proud of our students.” 

A protest organizer, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “The only reason this is happening is because Fordham refuses to engage in conversation with its students. Now they are threatening arrest. This could all be avoided if Fordham would divest.”

In a message shared with the Fordham community via email, President Tania Tetlow shared that the administration has already met with student leaders.

“Before today, the handful of protests we have experienced have been peaceful, mostly teach-ins and prayer vigils. We met with student leaders as recently as yesterday, readily agreeing to allow them to present their case about divestment and transparency to trustees and our chief investment officer. We remain committed to that process.” 

Throughout the afternoon, organizers walked through the crowd, passing out water, snacks, sunscreen and pizza for the gathered protesters, many of whom had been there for hours. Although the crowd’s size fluctuated throughout the day, there were an estimated 250-300 protesters at its peak. 

On the opposite side of the block, NYPD vans were parked along 62nd Street, as additional officers were dispatched to the scene. A police drone and at least two helicopters were spotted hovering overhead. Various NYPD units were at the scene including the NYPD Strategic Response Group, the NYPD Legal team and NYPD Community Affairs. At least three NYPD buses were spotted along 60th Street. New York City Fire Department members were also present.

The American Civil Liberties Union Protest Monitor Group and other legal groups watched events unfold at the site.

At 3 p.m., suspension letters were handed out to students in the encampment. The letters stated that due to violations of the University Code of Conduct, students were “directed to immediately follow the direction of University personnel and leave Fordham University property.” Students were suspended from their on-campus housing, classes, final exams and all events, including senior week and commencement. The letter also alerted protesters, “If you are not a current student, this letter serves as notification that you are not permitted access to University property until further notice.”

Student organizers led chants demanding that Fordham disclose where university funds are going and divest from Israel. These chants included “Tania Tetlow you can’t hide / You’re profiting off genocide” and “What does our tuition fund / Bombs, missiles, tanks and guns.”

“I came because I think it’s important that Fordham disclose what they’re spending our money on,” said Morgan, FCLC ’26, who asked for only their first name to be used. “We give them so much tuition, and we don’t know where it’s going.”

Increased police presence followed the suspension letters, and threats of arrest were made. Three student leaders, a professor and a member of administration entered negotiations at 4:45 p.m. During this time, NYPD officers in riot gear blocked off West 60th Street and pushed students behind the barricades; professors made a chain in front of the students, attempting to separate them from the police officers. Various protestors and members of the press were in the street and were told to either leave or “Get in the pen.”

Susanna, who also asked for her last name to not be used, brought her daughter to the protest.  “I can’t imagine being without her and every day families are torn apart,” she said. “There’s more than 14,000 kids that have been murdered over the struggle for land and power and I can’t support that and she can’t be free unless they are free.”

Before arrests were made, facilities employees put a tarp over the windows of the Lowenstein lobby that restricted the view. Protesters shouted “Shame” and “Tear them down” as the blue tarps were tied into place.

Arrests began at 6 p.m. and student leaders led the group to the Gabelli School of Business entrance where they believed the arrested students would be walked to the police buses. NYPD units followed protestors’ movement between the sidewalk and the street. At several points, NYPD officers standing in the street moved in on protestors on the sidewalk, restricting their movement. After some time at Gabelli, a student organizer expressed worries that the NYPD had given them misinformation about exit routes for those arrested. She led a group back to another entrance, and parts of the crowd walked back to Lowenstein. 

At Lowenstein, the NYPD began to walk protestors away from the entrance, urging them to leave and moving them closer to the corner of the sidewalk. From there, different groups left to One Police Plaza for jail support or to other protests around the city. 

President Tetlow released a statement after the protesters were arrested commenting on the day’s events and informing the student body of the university’s plans.

Regarding the student arrests, President Tetlow said in her statement, “This decision was not about parsing the difference between protected political speech and threats, nor was it about the Middle East. This was only about the physical protection of the campus. It comes down to this: Fordham students have a right to feel safe and to finish their exams. Period.”

It is unclear where the arrested parties exited the building, but by the time the protesters returned to the Lowenstein entrance, the police presence had reduced and the encampment had been dismantled. Protesters then marched together to One Police Plaza to provide jail support to arrested students. 

15 people in total were arrested, 11 were students and four were alumni. All those arrested were released from custody around 10 p.m.

“Know that we have increased security at both campuses, to strengthen the walls and gates that allow us to avoid outside intrusion at this moment,” said Tetlow. “And also know that we remain committed to permitting peaceful protests that still allow the rest of our student body to continue their studies.”