NYU SDS holds teach-in on political repression

New York, NY – On Thursday, April 3 New York University Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a teach-in on fighting political repression under the Trump presidency. The purpose of the teach-in was to empower students to know their rights when it comes to protesting, and how to fight back if the school or state bears down.

The teach-in hosted guest speakers Collin Poirot, a member of the National Lawyers Guild; Michela Martinazzi, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Laura Rodriguez, of the Tampa 5.

Before the event could even take place, NYU administration sent SDS an email stating that any event taking place within the Gallatin building must have a student in the Gallatin program as a co-sponsor. In future replies, the administration continued to push for the rescheduling or cancellation of the teach-in. It was obvious they were trying to shut down the event.

When the speakers arrived, they were greeted by seven campus officers at the entrance of the building. A security guard tried to stop Martinazzi from entering. He pointed to a flyer with her face and gestured to the officers “It’s her. We can’t let her in!” However, due to the fast thinking of the SDS members, the event continued without further interruption.

The event began with an introduction from SDS of their rights on campus during times of political repression. In fall 2024, NYU updated the Non-Discrimination and Harassment policy that penalized students who spoke out against Zionism. Despite this new policy, protests at NYU have continued.

Poirot gave a general overview of people’s rights while protesting. From what to do if a cop stops you to the laws regarding filming in public, Poirot covered all the bases.

Martinazzi spoke instead of different cases where protesters beat political repression. She brought up the cases of the Chicago 7, Antiwar 23, Carlos Montes and Rasmea Odeh. In each case, she showed what strategy the organizers used to win. Martinazzi stated, “The goal of political repression is to shut down a part of the work that is a specific thorn in the side of imperialism. They’re trying to scare you into hiding. Don’t hide. Be louder and bolder, and don’t stop organizing.”

The teach-in ended with Rodriguez sharing their experience fighting their felony charge as a member of the Tampa 5. At one point, Rodriguez said over Zoom, “To summarize our defense campaign, we were public and outspoken, united and mobilized the people on our side, and had an aggressive legal strategy. We won and got all our charges dropped because of this strategy.”

The teach-in comes on the heels of many pro-Palestine student protesters being kidnapped by ICE over their organizing. It’s important to not bow to the feds’ attempt of repression, but rather rise to defense and action.

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