What started as a relatively standard protest on Stony Brook University’s campus on Tuesday, March 26 ended with nine individuals arrested after a sit-in demonstration at the University’s Administration Building.

Pro-Palestinian protests have been a common occurrence on campus since the Israel-Hamas war broke out last October. But this is the first instance of demonstrators being arrested by law enforcement, namely the University Police Department (UPD).

Like many of the past protests, demonstrators organized by the Stony Brook chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) gathered in front of the Administration Building at 1 p.m. They aimed to protest the ongoing loss of life in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli government, as well as advocate for Stony Brook to completely divest from Israel.

According to Gaza health officials, over 32,000 Palestinians have been killed from the attacks by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) following Oct. 7. There is also mounting concern over a possible humanitarian crisis that could come from the IDF’s planned invasion of Rafah, a city in the southern part of Gaza where many refugees from the war are sheltering.

The protest was notably held on a “Day of Action” organized by SUNY Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) — an organization whose goal is to pressure every school in the SUNY system to divest from Israel.

“Remember, freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor — it must be demanded by the oppressed,” Zubair, an organizer with SJP who requested his last name remain anonymous, told the crowd. “The fight isn’t about how loud you are or what you do but is instead rooted in the messaging, consistency and growing numbers.”

Anna Hayward, a professor at Stony Brook’s School of Social Welfare, also spoke to the crowd. She explained that she was there to speak on behalf of her graduate students, who were scared that publicly supporting Palestine would cost them future opportunities.

“What kind of environment have we created for students, for graduate students, at Stony Brook University, if they do not feel safe speaking out,” Hayward said. “1.1 million Palestinians are currently starving to death, and our graduate students have asked me to represent them. They are afraid for their future. They are afraid for their future at this school.”

Sam Cornetta, a senior art major and an organizer with Starbucks Workers United, also spoke at the protest about the suffering of Palestinians and the roadblocks faced by the union they work for.

After Starbucks Workers United made a pro-Palestine statement online, Starbucks sued the union, alleging copyright infringement for having a name and logo similar to Starbucks. Starbucks Workers United then countersued, alleging that Starbucks defamed the union by suggesting they support terrorism.

“They seek to silence you,” Cornetta told the crowd. “Even Stony Brook University served SUNY BDS with a cease and desist. Stony Brook, I leave you with this: get organized and stay organized. Your community is more important than ever.”

Cornetta is referring to an incident that took place in late February when SUNY lawyers served SUNY BDS a cease and desist letter accusing the group of copyright infringement after the New York Post inquired to the New York State government about the organization.

After the speeches, protesters chanted and marched in a loop around campus for about an hour and a half. Following that stage of the protest, approximately 30 demonstrators staged a sit-in protest in the administration building, according to an email sent out following the protest by Rick Gatteau, Stony Brook’s vice president for Student Affairs.

Gallery • 4 Photos

SKY CRABTREE/THE STATESMAN

Gatteau alleged in the email that SJP had consulted with student affairs staff before the demonstration to plan out the route the protesters would take, as is standard procedure. He wrote that the demonstrators who entered the administration building had broken off from the procedure previously established by Student Affairs staff and SJP.

“In advance of this demonstration, Student Affairs staff consulted with the student organizers as is our normal practice, advising them of their rights and responsibilities in accordance with our established policies,” Gatteau wrote. “This included an agreed upon walking route. Near the end of the march, approximately thirty students who were part of the march deviated from the route by entering the administration building.”

Gatteau also wrote that after entering the administration building, protestors demonstrated by making noise using chanting, a drum and a bullhorn. While most of the students left after being warned by University officials that the disruption would lead to arrests, nine demonstrators remained and were subsequently arrested.

However, a statement posted by SJP on Instagram presents a slightly different version of events. According to the post, SJP chose to enter the building and refused to leave until they were provided a meeting with the University’s Board of Trustees to advocate for divestment from Israel.

“Immediately, UPD and the administration became aggressive, escalating the situation,” the statement read. “Administration spoke under the guidance of protecting the students and acting in our supposed best interest. They repeatedly warned students of consequences while ignoring our demands and characterizing our peaceful sit-in as a disruptive protest.”

SJP alleged that they were arrested without having their Miranda rights read to them, and claimed one of the students arrested was mocked and misgendered by UPD officers while in custody. The Statesman could not independently verify these claims.

Following the students’ arrest, several Stony Brook campus organizations spoke out against the school’s administration and demanded that the charges against the arrested students be dropped. Most notably, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) posted on its Instagram page advocating for the charges to be dismissed.

In an interview, USG President Devin Lobosco said the organization’s executive board felt the need to put out a statement after internal discussion.

“We spoke about it as an executive council; we acknowledged the fact that a lot of the protesters were non-violent, though disruptive,” Lobosco said. “The USG executive council felt very strongly [that] a student’s ability to protest nonviolently should not impact their future, their arrest record.”

Following the demonstration, SJP posted that another protest will be held at the administration building at 1 p.m. on April 3.

“We refuse to cower in fear of our administration’s abuse,” SJP’s statement read. “Furthermore, we remain steadfast in our demands that all charges against the arrested protesters be dropped, [SJP] be allowed to meet with the Board of Trustees to discuss divestment, and SUNY as an institution divest from the genocidal ethnostate and cut ties with all companies that profit from this campaign to eradicate the Palestinian people.”

Correction: This article previously reported that the arrested students not having their Miranda rights right to them upon being taken into custody was illegal. This is false. Miranda warnings are only required when police officers are questioning someone related to a criminal investigation or arrest. All individuals were charged with disorderly conduct, which is not a charge that would require Miranda warnings to be read to those being arrested.

Correction: This article previously reported that nine students were arrested. In actuality, those arrested included seven students, one alumnus, and one community member.