NYU Begins Its Newest Construction Project: A Wall in NYU Berlin

Last week at NYU Berlin had students and locals alike bewildered by a large purple wall erected between the Northeast and Southwest sides of the city. The project follows a series of student protests against crackdowns on pro-palestinian speech led by the current German parliament, when several students claimed it was NYU’s Berlin campus that made the call to the police.

“We cannot confirm or deny NYU Berlin’s involvement in the recent arrests, but we can confirm that negotiations were brought forth by the administration and ultimately rejected by the students,” states NYU Berlin campus safety president Fontäne Spaziergänger. 

Though the events follow each other closely enough to raise concerns, notably after similar instances at NYU Washington Square’s Gould Plaza and Kimmel Center, NYU Berlin has stated that the timing is merely coincidence, and the wall’s purpose is to protect the beginnings of its newest construction project: a luxury residence hall on Berlin’s west side. The proposed complex will include myriad amenities, including but not limited to a state-of-the-art gym, a swimming pool, a skating rink, and of course, five ten story apartment style studio residential buildings, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Berlin’s Northeast side.

Many have raised concerns regarding some historical parallels that this wall may share with the Cold War relic. When questioned regarding these claims, site representative Jhenifer Torrau responds in an official statement:  "Mädchen, was auch immer.”

University President Linda G. Mills has yet to officially comment on the wall itself, though she wrote this in a memorandum regarding the arrests: “it is moments like these that we must remember to account for the feelings and safety of our students and faculty at NYU Tel Aviv.”