Woman's Reason for Joining Pro-Palestinian Protest Goes Viral

A woman's reasoning for joining a pro-Palestinian protest at New York University (NYU) has gone viral on social media this week.

On Wednesday, former New York City Mayor and lawyer to former President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, showcasing an interview with a pro-Palestinian protester.

In the video, the individual is asked about the goal of protesters at NYU, to which the person responded, "I think the goal is showing our support for Palestine and demanding that NYU stops."

"I honestly don't know all of what NYU is doing ... I really don't know," the individual says.

As the video continues, the individual is seen speaking to another fellow protester and asking if she is aware of why they are protesting.

"I wish I was more educated," the second protester is heard saying.

The first protester then explained that she was previously at a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University and heard that NYU students needed their help.

"I heard there was lots of cops, some people were saying it was getting dangerous," the protester said.

The video has garnered over 1 million views on X, as well as over 10,000 likes and 6,100 reposts. The video was also shared by a number of other social media accounts.

Over the past week, Columbia students have organized protests and set up a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on campus to protest the university's "continued financial investment in corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine."

The tensions have spread to college campuses across the U.S. over the past six months as Israel continues its war in Gaza, which began after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7 that left 1,200 people dead and saw over 200 more taken hostage. More than 34,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the war began, the Associated Press reported, citing local health officials.

Columbia University previously announced that it was switching to hybrid classes for the remainder of the semester and school officials were actively speaking with protest organizers to deescalate the situation.

On Monday, NYU spokesperson John Beckman issued a statement in response to recent protests on the campus saying, "This morning, some 50 protesters began a demonstration on the plaza in front of the business school. This occurred without notice to the University, and without authorization. The University closed access to the plaza, put barriers in place, and made clear that we were not going to allow additional protesters to join because the protests were already considerably disruptive of classes and other operations in schools around the plaza."

The statement explained that many protesters were asked to leave the area but shortly after "additional protesters, many of whom we believe were not affiliated with NYU, suddenly breached the barriers that had been put in place at the north side of the plaza and joined the others already on the plaza."

According to the statement, there were several reports of "antisemitic incidents" and the NYPD made several arrests.

Newsweek reached out to NYU via email for comment.