Protests and commemorations mark third anniversary of October 7 attacks

Hundreds of protesters gathered across New York City on Wednesday during demonstrations on the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, the New York Post reported. Students at New York University and Columbia University staged walkouts, with more than 100 people assembling at Washington Square Park as part of a week of demonstrations organized by New York University Students for Justice in Palestine. [1]

During the New York City demonstrations, New York University professor Andrew Ross alleged that an untold number of victims were killed by the Israeli military, according to the New York Post. The report added that student demonstrators chanted slogans calling to keep the intifada alive and stated that resistance is justified. [1]

In Israel, citizens observed a minute of silence to begin events commemorating the third anniversary of the attacks, UPI reported. The initial assault three years ago involved more than 5,000 Hamas-led attackers who killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to UPI and the Washington Examiner. [1][2][6]

Protests on university campuses escalated in April 2024 when mass arrests occurred at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University. Activists called the movement the student intifada, leading to more than 3,100 arrests across more than 60 American campuses as students demanded institutional divestment from Israel. [10][11]