New York City Council member criticizes Cooper Union for not providing a safe environment for Jewish students
The New York City Councilwoman, who was arrested after she allegedly brought a gun to a pro-Palestinian rally in Brooklyn earlier this month, criticized Cooper Union on social media after Jewish students barricaded themselves inside a library on Wednesday where pro-Palestinian protesters were seen harassing them. . .
Councilwoman Ina Vernikoff, a Republican who represents the 48th District, posted on the social media platform .
After speaking with the students, Vernikov shared some information about the incident.
She said that although the gathering was supposed to be outside the school on public property, protesters “stormed” the library and there were no consequences.
Other things I learned were that faculty canceled classes, encouraged students to participate, offered extra credit, students told the board member, and even had some faculty walk out.
When it came to security, Vernikoff learned from students that there were not enough security guards on site, and the New York City Police Department did not show up immediately. When they did, the students alleged, the NYPD told the students that the college did not allow officers on school grounds because Cooper Union is a private school.
She said: “Some of the demonstrators were behaving violently, and were carrying anti-Semitic posters, in addition to what looked like sticks.” “Instead of removing protesters from the school campus, the school barricaded Jewish students in the school library.”
Vernikov added that the Jewish students in the library were “terrified” and “shaken,” fearing that they would be physically attacked and injured.
The students allegedly told the councilwoman that one of the slogans they heard was “Globalizing the Intifada from New York to Gaza,” or Palestinian uprisings.
“This is a terrible dereliction of duty on behalf of [Cooper Union] “For protecting its Jewish students from physical harm, and for failing to provide a safe space for them, the university must be held accountable for creating a hostile environment,” Vernikoff said. “Heads need to roll.”
Some people are now calling for university president Laura Sparks to step down.
A school spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the library was closed for 20 minutes as protesters moved through the building. The spokesman said some students were in the library and remained there when the protests passed.
“They were accompanied by library staff and chose to remain in the library until the protest ended,” the spokesman said. “All students, including those who participated in the protest, had dispersed by 5:30 p.m. Additionally, to clear up some erroneous reporting, the NYPD was on site throughout the day.”
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