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‘Hide in the attic’?! Pro-Israel students locked in college library from raging mob rehash harrowing ordeal

October 26, 2023 | | Print Article

The Jewish Cooper Union college students who were terrorized by pro-Palestinian protesters are now speaking out about their ordeal, despite the aggressors claiming that they were peaceful.

“I genuinely don’t know what would have happened if the doors were left open,” one of the students told CBS News after the ordeal occurred.

“It was tense. People were nervous. They were specifically acting very aggressive in those spaces where outwardly-Jewish students were sitting,” another student added.

Listen:

The two were among a group of Jewish students who gathered inside Cooper Union’s library Wednesday evening after reportedly attending a pro-Israel rally.

But while there, counterprotesters showed up outside the library and started banging on the door while reportedly yelling anti-Semitic rhetoric.

According to New York City Council minority whip Inna Vernikov, a Republican who’s spoken to several of the Jewish students, the counterprotesters were supposed to stay outside the building but “STORMED” it without any consequences.

But there’s more. The counterprotesters were, according to Vernikov’s sources, encouraged by “faculty members” to walk out of class and participate in a counter-rally. In fact, some “faculty members” participated in the counter-rally themselves.

Part of the problem, Vernikov’s sources said, was that there were too few campus security guards on-site when the pro-Israel rally (and anti-Israel counter-rally) occurred. Indeed, whereas there were over 100 individuals involved with the counter-rally, there were only about 12 security guards present.

The New York Police Department for their part showed up but not right away. And when they did show up, the school — a private institution — allegedly barred them from entering the building containing the library.

Meanwhile, the school’s dean was safely escorted out of the building. The Jewish students evidently didn’t receive the same honor.

According to Jake Novak, who appears to be a local reporter, at one point the librarians inside the library approached the Jewish students and offered to hide them in the library’s attic.

Regarding the counterprotesters, they “were acting violent” and “held anti-Semitic posters,” in addition to what appeared to be sticks. As such, the Jewish students in the library were “terrified” and “shaken,” according to Vernikov.

“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,'” the Republican councilwoman wrote on X.

But it gets worse. By 8:00 a.m. the following morning, the school still hadn’t released any statement about the incident, despite many of the Jewish students who were stuck in the library the previous night being afraid to return to school. Some of the students have even since dropped their classes at the school “because they feel bullied” and “traumatized.”

While the school has and continues to do nothing, NYC Mayor Eric Adams has, to his credit, spoken out against the incident.

“While the students at Cooper Union have a right to peacefully protest, hate has no place in our city,” he tweeted late Wednesday, clearly referencing the hateful, anti-Semitic bile that had been spewed by the counterprotesters.

As for Cooper Union, every one of its tweets — none of which mention the library incident — has been ratioed by the Jewish students’ many supporters.

Case in point:

The counterprotesters have released a statement claiming in part that they were peaceful and only chanting down the halls and outside of the library. They also added: “We would like to make it clear that our protest was not targeting any individual students or faculty, but the institution itself. We would like to reiterate that we DO NOT under any circumstance condone antisemitism.” Sadly for them, hardly anyone believes them.

Vivek Saxena
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