Tipsheet

Jewish Students Left 'Shaken' in Cooper Union Library After Pro-Hamas Protest

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  October 26, 2023 12:45 PM

This article has been updated to reflect edits quietly made to The New York Times' coverage of the incident. 

On Wednesday, footage appeared of terrified Jewish students trapped inside the Cooper Union library as pro-Hamas students rampaged on campus and banged on the doors.

As of Thursday morning, the college's statement has been pretty lacking, merely summarizing its version of events.

Aaron Bandler's Jewish Journal shared a screenshot of the statement he received after he sent the videos and asked the college for a response.

"The Library was closed for approximately 20 minutes while student protesters moved through our building. Some students who were previously in the Library remained during this time. All students have now dispersed," the statement on Wednesday merely read. 

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The Israel War Room account also shared the statement when responding to another user who asked if Cooper Union would look to dismiss and downplay the incident.

A more recent report from The New York Times relied heavily on the statement, revealing it came from Kim Newman, a spokeswoman for Cooper Union:

There was no indication that the protesters intended to harm the Jewish students or anyone else in the library, but the student who was there was nonetheless scared that the protesters might break down the doors.

In a statement, the Cooper Union spokeswoman, Kim Newman, said the library had been “closed” for about 20 minutes while the protesters “moved through our building.”

“Some students who were previously in the library remained there during this time,” Ms. Newman said, adding that all students, including the protesters, had dispersed by 5:30 p.m. Contrary to some reports, she said, the police had been present throughout the episode.

The piece has since quietly been updated not to include more information about the event, but, to stealthily edit out one of the above paragraphs, specifically that "[t]here was no indication that the protesters intended to harm the Jewish students or anyone else in the library, but the student who was there was nonetheless scared that the protesters might break down the doors."

An archived version of the article is available, though, and Abigail Jackson, Sen. Josh Hawley's communications director, had posted a screenshot earlier from X. Brad Slagger, in his latest edition of "Riffed From the Headlines" covered the stealth edit as well.

Regarding a police presence, there had been complexities from the start, at least regarding how officers were put to use.

A report from the New York Post, which relies heavily on an anonymous student witness, mentions that NYPD and security were on the scene:

A handful of Cooper Union’s Jewish students barricaded inside the university’s library Wednesday when pro-Palestinian protesters blew past security and aggressively pounded on the building’s doors.

...

The group of several dozen demonstrators breezed past security’s feeble attempts to stop them from climbing the stairs as they chanted “Free Palestine,” video shows.

Security on the library’s 7th level locked the doors upon hearing the group come closer, preventing them from coming inside, but not stopping them from banging on the walls and continuing their chanting.

Several of the 11 Jewish students huddled inside the Cooper Union Library called 911 or contacted relatives who called the police for help.

The NYPD was stationed at the demonstration the entire time, a spokesperson said.

No arrests or summonses were issued, and the ralliers left the building without incident. 

It is not clear whether any officers entered the building during the demonstration, though the student witness claims the police never arrived because the university told them not to get involved.

Instead, a school administrator offered to discreetly escort the students out the back entrance of the building — which [President Laura] Sparks allegedly opted for herself upon hearing that the protesters were coming her way.

“If they were scared, if the president was so scared that she left the building, then the police should have been called,” the student said.

“Why would they leave the students in the building without police protection when the president of the school who was also targeted left herself?”

The 11 Jewish students opted to stay inside and ride out the protests.

Part of a Thursday morning thread from NYC Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, who says she spoke to the student on Wednesday night, mentions the police as well.

Posts in the thread mention how there was not enough campus security and that police had not been allowed onto school grounds, with Cooper being a private institution. 

The Daily Signal also published a report on Thursday indicating that the outlet was told police officers did not intervene because "no threats of physical violence were made."

The report also links to a tweet from Jake Novak, who said that the NYPD officers who were called "did nothing" and that Jewish students were even told by librarians "they could hide in the attic if they wanted to."

What else the New York Post had to say via the student witness does not paint a pretty picture of the college: 

A Jewish senior at the East Village institution recounted the terrifying moment she watched the demonstrators slam anti-Zionist posters against the window and shout “antisemitic rhetoric” just a few feet away.

“When they started banging on the door, my heart started pounding. I was crying. I think if the doors weren’t locked — I don’t know what would have happened,” the student, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Post.

“I don’t want to speculate what would’ve happened. It just makes me too nervous. I was absolutely terrified in that moment.”

The demonstrators — who were carrying Palestinian flags and “Zionism Hands Off Our Universities” signs — had scheduled the 1 p.m. demonstration outside the 7 E. 7th St. building when they decided to move through the interior.

It appeared as though they were heading toward university president Laura Spark’s office to demand she condemn Israel’s attacks on Gaza Strip civilians when they pivoted to the library, the student said.

...

The 11 Jewish students opted to stay inside and ride out the protests.

When they walked outside, the pro-Palestinian demonstrators were standing silently outside displaying their signs.

...

Although she admitted she wasn’t sure whether the demonstrators were trying to get through the locked doors, the senior said she was left disappointed by the university’s actions.

“I think we’re all honestly scared. We don’t feel comfortable going back to school tomorrow,” she said.

“It felt crazy that once they overtook the security guards, they still don’t want the police to come in. So that doesn’t make sense to me. It doesn’t make sense to me that once the doors were locked — which means that they clearly felt we were in danger — they still didn’t let the police come in … It’s confusing to me that once [the president] left, we were still there and they didn’t let police come in.”

The same goes for the details shared in the rest of Vernikov's thread about the incident. This not only includes what is mentioned above about the police presence but also how faculty encouraged and even participated in protests.

The student protesters also appear more aggressive and threatening in this light than what's described in reporting from The New York Times, for instance.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, tagged in a subsequent post from Vernikov, issued a post that in part declared, "This much is clear: It's absolutely appalling that Jewish students were intimidated and harassed this way. What is Cooper Union doing about this??"

Mayor Eric Adams offered a brief couple of posts, one of which stood by the right to protest.

The school's lack of a more complete response stands in contrast to how Sparks put out a lengthy response on October 11, which spoke to specific resources to students:

We are outraged and deeply saddened by the violent and deadly terrorist attacks on Israeli people by Hamas that began this weekend. There is no place for terrorism in our society, and that is exactly what we witnessed on Saturday with the taking of hostages, the raping of women, and the brutal killing of innocent people, including infants, children, and the elderly. These are horrific acts that cannot be justified or rationalized under any context.

Many in our community are directly or indirectly impacted, and our hearts are with all who are suffering as a result of these brutal actions and the ongoing escalation of violence unfolding. These terrorist acts by Hamas have led to more deaths of Israelis and Palestinians. We grieve the loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives and stand in solidarity with all who seek peace and condemn terror. We hope for brave leaders who can return the hostages safely to their families and homes while preventing further violence on a path to long-term peace.

There have been and will continue to be many discussions about the painful histories and complex geopolitical issues underlying the work toward peace in the Middle East, the ways that governments have failed to serve the people they purport to protect, and how actions before, during, and after this weekend’s terrorist attacks undermine the very peace and freedoms so many seek. Education, discourse, and compassion in search of peaceful resolutions must shape our work toward a better, shared future.

As we wrestle with these complex issues, we must not lose sight of our common humanity and must care for one another on the difficult road ahead. We encourage you to utilize the campus resources listed below for your own support and to reach out to those who may be struggling right now.

Any Cooper student can schedule a time to meet with one of our Student Care Coordinators by emailing studentcare@cooper.edu. For additional and after-hours support, please see the student care and support resources at these links, including access to our Counseling Program,  TimelyCare, and other resources that are available 24/7.

For staff and faculty seeking resources, please utilize Cooper’s Employee Assistance Program – the EAP hotline number is 800-252-4555.

Although Sparks shared the statement to her X account at the time via a repost, she has not posted since sharing other unrelated reposts from the school on October 11.

Vernikov also posted on Thursday morning that people will gather at Cooper Union to demand the removal of Sparks as president.