About 150 protesters from the Coalition for Mutual Liberation marched from Ho Plaza to Klarman Hall on Monday afternoon, chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever.”
About twenty minutes after protesters filled Klarman, police arrived and ordered protesters to show their student IDs to name them for possible disciplinary action.
The demonstration marked the first of the 2024-2025 academic year and was organized by the Coalition for Mutual Liberation, an umbrella organization representing over 40 groups in and around Cornell.
Once in Klarman, CML activists unveiled a banner reading “Peoples School Coming Soon,” which they hung from the railing with zip ties. During the spring 2024 semester, a banner reading “People’s University” was displayed at CML’s camp, referring to a section of the camp dedicated to educational programs.
In the final weeks of the Spring 2024 semester, CML set up camp on the Arts Quad to demand changes to the university’s investments, policing, and curriculum.
While no students were arrested during the camp – unlike similar demonstrations at comparable institutions – several students were suspended from classes for the remainder of the spring semester.
While Monday’s protest focused on Palestine, it also addressed the ongoing labor dispute between the United Auto Workers Local 2300 – the union that represents food service, janitorial, maintenance and other workers at the university – and the university.
The UAW Local 2300 union has been on strike since Sunday, August 18, after the university and the union failed to reach an agreement on a contract by the union’s deadline.
UAW Region Nine President Daniel Vicente, in his speech at Klarman, criticized the university both for its refusal to comply with UAW demands and for its support of Israel, which he called the “Zionist state.”
“Our fight doesn’t end with the signing of our contract,” Vicente said. “You guys have to keep pushing.”
As more police arrived and asked the students to show identification, the protest leaders told the crowd to disperse into groups. Police pulled the banner back from the railing and removed it from Klarman.
When a student asked about the consequences for demonstrators, the police replied that those who refused to show their ID would also face consequences.
“You will face consequences. Absolutely. Everything is fine,” the officer said, pointing to his body camera.
When the student asked what would happen to repeat offenders, the officer shrugged and said, “Well, they’ll find out. Because if they don’t follow the rules a second time, they won’t be here anymore. I don’t know.”
In an Instagram post and a leaflet promoting the demonstration, CML suggested that interim President Michael Kotlikoff’s lack of response to the demands of pro-Palestinian activists could lead to his resignation from the presidency.
“If you don’t divest, you’re next,” CML wrote in the post.
Pictures of the four recently resigned Ivy League presidents were crossed out in the post, with the date of their resignation or retirement. Kotlikoff’s picture was captioned “TBD.”
Since October 7, the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University have resigned in connection with reactions to their response to the unrest on campus.
Former President Martha Pollack, who announced her resignation in May, claimed that she resigned of her own accord and did not explicitly link her resignation to protest activities.
Kotlikoff is already facing a flood of opposition from pro-Palestinian and union activists in his second month in office.
On Monday morning, red spray-painted pro-Palestinian messages reading “Israel bombs, Cornell pays” and “Blood is on your hands” were found in Day Hall. The front door was also smashed.
In a statement from the university, Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina said he was “appalled” by the vandalism and that “property damage (including graffiti) will not be tolerated.”
Since the strike began, members and supporters of UAW Local 2300 have organized spontaneous protests every day, and operations in the university’s cafeterias have been significantly disrupted.
In a statement emailed to the Cornell community Monday morning titled “Freedom and Responsibility,” Kotlikoff and Interim Provost John Siliciano explained the enforcement of Cornell’s interim Expressive Activity Policy in response to the spring semester camp.
Kotlikoff and Siliciano explained that under university policy, disciplinary action would be taken to end “peaceful” encampments that violate free speech policies “without the need to resort to violence.”
Affected students will first receive a warning for their violation of university policy, then a “non-academic temporary suspension” for a second violation, and a “temporary academic suspension” for a third violation.
The university did not want to comment on the demonstration on Monday afternoon and the police operation at this time.
