Parents of Jewish Cooper Union students hope to bring criminal charges after tense pro-Palestinian rally outside library
NEW YORK -- After a tense standoff between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protestors, a demonstration to stop antisemitism at Cooper Union erupted in more ugliness Thursday.
The rally to stop the hate against Jewish students at Cooper Union turned into something of a free-for-all after a woman with pro-Palestinian sympathies interrupted the event. It was called to protest the handling of demonstrations at the school on Wednesday.
Parents and elected officials called out the school for not stopping pro-Palestinian demonstrations from getting into the school building and, in their words, "terrorizing Jewish students."
Video shows a group of Jewish students barricaded behind a locked door of the library while students chanted "Free Palestine" and held up signs outside the glass.
However, the NYPD stressed students were not barricaded inside the library.
One parent, whose son was in the library, said she's been begging Cooper Union officials for weeks to protect Jewish students.
"But nothing happened. They still permitted the Hamas narrative to be expressed. They permitted the Jewish kids to be put in danger," the woman said.
Another women whose daughter was caught in the Wednesday fracas said her daughter is "frightened" to be on campus.
The students' parents hired a lawyer to bring criminal charges.
"Students felt afraid for their safety. They feared for their lives," said Gerard Filitti.
City Council Member Inna Vernikov called on Cooper Union President Laura Sparks to resign.
"In fact, we made it very easy for her. We brought a box so she could pack her stuff and we have a resignation letter," said Vernikov, a Republican from Brooklyn.
The group also criticized the NYPD's response and lack of uniformed personnel.
"We had this full discussion with school officials last night," said NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell. "So today there will be a uniform presence outside that school because, again, these kids are all students who go to school and some share the same classes."
Cooper Union released the following statement Thursday evening:
"The devastation and loss of life in Israel and Gaza are a cause of deep pain and anger for people around the world and in our own community. While we support our students' right to peacefully protest and express themselves, a walkout on Wednesday reached an unacceptable level when protesting students entered a campus building and disrupted the learning environment.
"Cooper is a place of shared learning, and we must uphold our commitment to ensure that all students, faculty, and staff feel safe on our campus. While there is room for productive debate and dissent here, there is no place for any discriminatory, hateful, or threatening acts of any kind.
"We are reaching out to all of our affected communities to listen to and address their concerns. We are reviewing reports and footage from yesterday's events and will initiate any necessary actions consistent with our policies. We have already increased our security and are working with NYPD and our external security partner to make sure our students, faculty, and staff feel safe and protected.
"Please take time to read the messages we shared last night and earlier this month with our community."
Police officials said they are also working to ensure safety at other college campuses throughout the city.
A spokesperson for President Biden issued a statement condemning the "disturbing pattern of antisemitic messages" and recent incidents at college campuses in New York City and Washington. "These grotesque sentiments and actions shock the conscience and turn the stomach," the spokesperson said.