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UPDATE: This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. on May 6, 2024.

Chief Student Experience Office Allen Groves and Department of Public Safety Chief Craig Stone wrote in a campus-wide email Saturday night that there have been reports of a non-university affiliated person gesturing a Nazi salute toward students.

After a “brief” verbal altercation, the “non-affiliate” reportedly punched a student, Stone and Groves wrote. The altercation started after pro-Palestine protesters with a “Community Support Rally” returned to Walnut Park from SU’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment. An off-duty residential community safety officer deescalated the incident.

“Syracuse Police, as the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over this matter, is speaking to witnesses to get a better understanding of what transpired and reviewing all available security camera and witness cell phone video footage,” Stone and Groves wrote.

The student did not want medical attention nor did they want to pursue charges, they wrote.

Along with a request for students to contact either DPS or the Syracuse Police Department with information, Stone and Groves wrote that there will be an increased law enforcement presence “on and around campus in the coming days.” Most rally participants were not students, they wrote.

An SPD spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange Sunday that the department responded to a harassment investigation at approximately 4:50 p.m. on Saturday at DPS’ request. Though the student requested not to press charges, the incident is still under investigation, the spokesperson wrote.

Around 75 people joined the initial 3 p.m. protest hosted by the Syracuse Peace Council. The “rally” called on the university to “engage in honest negotiations” with those in the encampment, according to an Instagram post from the SPC on Friday.

Rally participants called for a ceasefire in Gaza, the university’s respect of students’ rights to protest and SU’s adherence to the GSE’s six demands. Several community speakers, including Onondaga County Legislator Maurice “Mo” Brown, stated their support for the GSE. The group later walked through campus, arrived at Shaw Quadrangle and began chanting “long live the student encampment.”

Members of DPS and the SPD interviewed a series of people outside of Zeta Beta Tau, a Jewish fraternity, after the altercation. Throughout the protest, people on the porches of nearby Greek life houses, including ZBT, shouted at the pro-Palestine group, also playing the Israeli and American national anthems.

No direct confrontations occurred between SPC demonstrators and counterprotesters until the pro-Palestine group returned to Walnut Park from visiting the encampment. As the pro-Palestine group again left Walnut Park, people sitting on the porches called after them.

“Why are you in front of the Jewish fraternity (ZBT), antisemites?” one yelled.

“Go to Gaza,” another person said. “See what happens to you.”

One person on ZBT’s porch threw an empty water bottle at the protesters, though it’s unclear whether or not they were aiming at someone. The person, along with those standing on the porch, then got up to follow the pro-Palestine protesters.

The altercation then occurred between a smaller group of protesters and counterprotesters. The student counterprotester said he was punched in the face by a rally participant and several witnesses reported one person threatening another with a taser.

“They’re choosing to do (the protest) right in front of the one Jewish fraternity (ZBT) on campus. There’s one house that is a Jewish fraternity, and they have the entire park,” said one SU student who requested to remain anonymous. “The fact that the school hasn’t taken action is absolutely deplorable.”

Along with those on the porches, people walking and driving by the pro-Palestine group yelled obscenities at the protesters. A smaller number of passersby supported the protesters, whose speakers continued to address the audience throughout.

Another group of protesters that called themselves “pro-American” also arrived in the park. Along with handing out American flags to bystanders, they called the speakers of the pro-Palestine rally “un-American,” telling them to “go home” and booed them as they spoke.

During the initial rally, Brown drew comparisons between the current encampments across the country and previous protests, such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. He “applauded” GSE members for their protest efforts.

Representatives from several community groups, including the Syracuse chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace and the Pan African Community of Central New York, gave statements supporting the GSE. Two members of the encampment also recited their list of demands for the university.

After each speaker, demonstrators would chant as counterprotesters responded and continued to play music.

On Sunday night, SPC and JVP posted a joint statement to Instagram condemning “violence, Antisemitism, and racism” in response to the May 4 incident. The post states neither SPC nor any of the other sponsoring organizations are aware of the identity of the protester who allegedly performed the Nazi salute, but all groups involved condemn his actions.

“Racism, bigotry, and violence are fundamentally antithetical to our vision of a just world,” the statement reads. “Acts such as those that occurred after (Saturday’s) rally undermine our movement work to dismantle antisemitism along with anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, and all other forms of oppression (sic).”

SPC and JVP also confirmed that members of the GSE at SU were not involved in the planning of Saturday’s protest and only attended to recite their demands. The statement speaks out against any “violence, slurs, and other forms of harassment” being directed toward encampment members following the rally that would “endanger” student demonstrators and other advocates.

Published on May 4, 2024 at 8:32 pm

Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu