The Cooper Union* in New York had to rush Jewish students to barricade into the library as a pro-Palestine protest outside threatened to turn violent. Footage from the incidents shows a group of concerned students looking around as loud banging and chanting are heard in the background.
A video shared on social media showed pro-Palestinian protesters pounding on one side of locked library doors and Jewish students on the other.
Jewish students at Cooper Union College have been locked inside the library for their own safety as a mob of anti Israeli protesters block the doors.
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 25, 2023
Where are the police?!!!pic.twitter.com/Uv4CFRqGzm
The Jewish students barricaded in the library were terrified, some of them shaken. They believed they could’ve been physically assaulted and injured, and feared for their well-being. One of the slogans heard was “Globalize the intifada from New York to Gaza” (From the X thread below)
🧵Last night, I spoke to four Jewish students from @cooperunion. Three of them were barricaded inside the library while the pro-Hamas protestors were violently banging on doors. A few take-aways according to student accounts of the incident:
— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) October 26, 2023
7. Some of the protestors were acting violent, held antisemitic posters, as well as what looked like sticks. (See video) Instead of removing the protestors from school grounds, the school barricaded the Jewish students in the school library. pic.twitter.com/BhehSpMXPB
— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) October 26, 2023
*The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, established in 1859, is among the nation’s oldest and most distinguished institutions of higher education. The college, founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist, Peter Cooper, offers a world-class education in art, architecture and engineering as well as an outstanding faculty of humanities and social sciences.
“Librarians bolted the doors and approached the identifiable Jewish students and told them they could HIDE IN THE ATTIC if they wanted to.”
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 26, 2023
Were they encouraged to write diaries as well? https://t.co/KLx7hUcWlc