Jewish students at a New York City college were locked inside a school library on Wednesday as a pro-Palestinian rally moved through the building, with protesters banging on the doors and chanting ‘free, free Palestine,’ video shows. Video of the students in the library made the rounds on social media, on Wednesday afternoon. In one video, protesters were seen outside the library as Jewish students sit at a table and attempt to study.
On the other side of the glass, students are seen holding up signs protesting Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Jake Novak, the former media director at the Israeli Consulate in New York, posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that several Jewish students were locked in the school library at about 5:15 p.m.
My sources tell me several Jewish students are currently locked in the school library as a Hamas rally outside of the Cooper Union building learnt the Jews were afraid and sitting in the library, then brought the protest inside and are barricading all exits,' he posted. 'Police have been called for 40 min and are afraid to get involved. Security locked the students in as they are worried they cannot protect the Jews .
The New York City Police Department did not immediately respond to inquiries about the matter and Novak’s claims about the police being 'afraid to get involved.' Still, City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino shared her opinion on the video making the rounds on social media. 'No big deal, just a few Jewish kids barricaded in a library while a mob tries to break the doors down to get them,' she said. 'At a prestigious university in New York City. In 2023.
The Library was closed for approximately 20 minutes while student protestors moved through our building,' the official said. 'Some students who were previously in the library remained during this time. All students have now dispersed.'