Mick Hartley

Video of Jewish students being sequestered by security at Cooper Union right now while protestors bang on doors outside. Cops were called over 40mins ago but still no response. They are worried for their safety. @cooperunion @nypost @NYPDChiefOfDept pic.twitter.com/YFW81BBXuz

— Lea Goldman (@lea) October 25, 2023

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🧵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

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Full thread:

1. Even though this rally/walk-out was supposed to be outside the school on public property, protestors STORMED the school building. There were no consequences and NOBODY WAS ARRESTED.

2. Faculty members CANCELLED CLASS for the walk out, ENCOURAGED students to participate and even offered EXTRA CREDIT to do so.

3. FACULTY members themselves PARTICIPATED in the walk out/protest.

4. There was NOT nearly ENOUGH CAMPUS SECURITY. According to the students, there are only about 12 campus security guards on site at any given time and the protestors made up over approximately 100 individuals.

5. The NYPD did not show up right away, and when they did show up, they never entered the building, at least to the students' knowledge. NYPD told the students later on that @cooperunion DID NOT ALLOW THE NYPD @NYPDnews onto school grounds. (Cooper is a private institution)

6. The DEAN of the school was ESCORTED out of the building through a SAFE back door exit by campus security. Then later allegedly claimed everything and everyone was safe.

7. Some of the protestors were acting violent, held antisemitic posters, as well as what looked like sticks…. Instead of removing the protestors from school grounds, the school barricaded the Jewish students in the school library.

8. 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"

9. The school until this hour, HAS NOT ISSUED ANY STATEMENT ensuring its students that they would be safe coming to school today, nor have they reached out to their families. These students are AFRAID to come to school today and many of them will STAY HOME.

10. Jewish students have dropped classes at @cooperunion because they feel bullied, and the students who were barricaded in the library are traumatized, and said they “will never walk in there feeling alright again.”

11. This is a terrible DERELICTION OF DUTY on behalf of @cooperunion to protect its Jewish students from physical harm, a failure to provide them with a safe space, and the university must be held accountable for creating a HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT. HEADS NEED TO ROLL.