NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� A fake protest encampment set up for a TV shoot on a New York City college campus sparked a real reaction from pro-Palestinian activists, who organized their own demonstration against the filming, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
The scenario unfolded Monday and Tuesday at Queens College, where the CBS drama 鈥淔BI: Most Wanted" was filming an upcoming episode involving a climate change protest, .
Like some of the encampments that formed on and this spring to protest Israel's actions in its war against Hamas, the TV set protest featured tents, sleeping bags and handmade banners.
Members of some pro-Palestinian groups, Within Our Lifetime and Students for Justice in Palestine, took umbrage and organized a protest of their own on the sidelines of the fictional one, the Times reported. Production wrapped up earlier than expected Monday following the protesters' appearance, and a group of about 15 protesters returned Tuesday, the paper reported. It wasn't clear whether any were students.
The newspaper said the demonstrators declined to speak to a reporter. However, in chants and flyers, they called the film shoot 鈥減ropaganda鈥� and the use of the campus 鈥渁 clear attempt to simultaneously demonize and profit from the student movement.鈥�
The show's producers declined to comment, the Times said.
Queens College said in a statement that the 鈥渃ampus community鈥� had been told in advance about the TV shoot, including its 鈥渇ocus on a climate change/environmental issue protest at a fictitious college.鈥�
Filming wrapped up as planned by noon Tuesday, according to the Times.
This year's Gaza-related student protest movement was in New York, then swept through many other U.S. campuses. Encampments sprouted at some schools, though not at Queens College.
Although many protests were peaceful, there were more than 3,200 arrests. Some campuses saw , or of commencement ceremonies. Some schools fielded about antisemitic and anti-Palestinian harassment.
The war began when on Oct. 7, taking hostages and killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians. In Gaza, , according to the territory's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
The Associated Press
