New Orleans: Tulane students disrupt IDF event, resist police repression

New Orleans, LA – On the night of Monday, November 3, 60 Tulane students and community members gathered for a noise demonstration to protest the first stop of a national “Combat on Campus Tour” of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers. The IDF event was hosted by Tulane Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at the Chabad Center of Louisiana near Tulane University’s campus.

Protesters, called together by Together United Louisiana Students for a Democratic Society (TUL SDS), banged pots, pans and drums to disrupt the two IDF soldiers who came to share “their firsthand stories from October 7 and the war that followed.”

The event was originally scheduled to take place on Tulane’s campus, but the university cancelled it. SSI opted to host the event just off campus at Chabad of Louisiana on Freret Street. Tulane SSI required patrons of the event to RSVP and only allowed entry to “approved” registrants. Two people remained at the door for the event, locking it between each guest who entered the building.

Protesters raised their voices and their drums to call for “IDF off campus now!” and “No justice! No Peace! No IDF on NOLA’s streets!”

Passersby honked and shouted in support of the demonstration as students attending SSI’s event carried Israeli flags and shouted at the crowd.

About 30 minutes after the event began, Tulane University Police Department (TUPD) arrived at the scene. Officers attempted to arrest SDS member Rory Macdonald and called for them by name in the crowd. At least 15 officers geared up and attempted to break up the crowd while protesters chanted, “TUPD, KKK, IDF, they’re all the same!”

Community members fought back against the shameless attempts to break up the protest, forming a line to separate people from police. Officers responded by shoving crowd members and shouting about arrests. Many protesters were injured, punched and hurt by officers with no clear orders or charges announced against them.

“I was punched in the face three times by TUPD officers, just for asking why Rory was being targeted,” said Blu Dimarco of the Queer Trans Community Action Project.

Navya Prakash, an SDS member, was shocked by the police escalation, stating, “It was completely out of the blue. They didn’t even give the crowd time to disperse or have any charges to name before they started attempting to arrest protesters. A lot of us were injured because the cops were punching us.”

Officers moved back as protesters shouted, “Shame on you!” Organizers insisted the action was completely legal, on a public sidewalk, and the officers had no grounds for arrest.

After fighting off police attacks, the crowd slowly began to disperse. Police followed them to nearby cross streets and blocked access to Freret Street for over 30 minutes. However, the action succeeded in resisting unlawful arrests and getting everyone safely home.

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