Who Are the CUNY 8? Pro-Palestine Campus Protesters Face 7 Years in Prison

Katya Yindra

Eight Palestine Solidarity activists facing state repression known as the “CUNY 8” (City University of New York, a reference to the network of public universities in that city) are preparing to stand trial more than a year after being caught up in a mass arrest carried out at City College of New York (CCNY) by the New York Police Department. The mass arrests at CCNY were part of the citywide attack on the Palestine solidarity movement.

The CUNY 8 are the final eight defendants of 28 protesters arrested, who have not had their cases dismissed or taken plea deals. The CUNY 8 insist that they are rejecting “coercive offers” that include probation and mandated courses on protest law.

The arrests took place on April 30, 2024, just hours after NYPD officers stormed Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall and arrested 46 protesters. That action, widely covered in the media, was part of a broader crackdown as students across the country escalated protest tactics to demand university divestment from companies linked to Israel.

At CCNY, just 20 blocks north of Columbia, students occupied the Howard E. Wille Administration Building in solidarity. NYPD responded with a late-night raid that resulted in over 170 arrests. Protesters reported being beaten with batons, pepper-sprayed at close range, and tased. Some sustained serious injuries, including broken bones and teeth, according to a press release from CUNY 4 Palestine.

The charges and conditions of arrest at CCNY have drawn outrage, especially when compared to Columbia’s response. While most Columbia students were charged with misdemeanor trespassing, the CUNY 8 are facing third-degree burglary charges, a Class D felony that carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

The legal response reflects the class background of both schools. Columbia, an Ivy League institution where annual tuition tops $69,000, serves a predominantly wealthy student body. CCNY, part of the City University of New York system, charges $7,340 for in-state tuition and primarily serves Black, brown, immigrant, and working-class students.

As for the protesters themselves, the demands of CCNY students mirror those raised by protesters at Columbia and other campuses: divestment from Israeli-linked companies, an academic boycott of Israeli institutions, the removal of NYPD from campuses, protection for pro-Palestinian students and faculty, and reinvestment in public education.

The CUNY 8 had their fifth court appearance on May 7. In a press conference, the group affirmed their solidarity with the Palestinian resistance and expressed gratitude to those who packed the court in support of their case, noting that it’s been over a year since their arrest. One speaker explained that the District Attorney has offered preliminary deals and that they must reach a consensus as a collective before the case is brought to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. The next court date for the CUNY 8 is scheduled for June 13.

Supporters can follow updates and calls to action on Instagram at @cuny4palestine.

The Worker expresses its full solidarity with the CUNY 8 and calls upon our readers to support them in every way possible, practically, financially, and politically. As the number of political and anti-imperialist prisoners increases throughout the US, the struggles to free our comrades cannot be neglected. Every act of repression which is defeated is a victory.

Photo: CUNY 8 hosts a press conference on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 following their court appearance. Source: cunylawsjp instagram

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