A disturbing incident unfolded at a New York City college on Wednesday, when Jewish students found themselves trapped in a library while a pro-Palestinian demonstration surged through the building.
Videos circulating on social media showed the protesters pounding on the library doors and chanting 'free, free Palestine.'
The footage, which quickly spread across social media platforms on Wednesday afternoon, depicted the Jewish students attempting to study inside the library while the protest took place outside. The protesters were visible through the glass, brandishing signs decrying Israel's occupation of Palestine.
Jake Novak, the former media director at the Israeli Consulate in New York, shared on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, that multiple Jewish students were confined in the school library around 5:15 p.m.
"My sources tell me several Jewish students [at Cooper Union] are currently locked in the school library as a [pro] Hamas rally outside of the Cooper Union building learnt [sic] the Jews were afraid and sitting in the library, then brought the protest inside and are barricading all exits," he wrote. "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 [right now]."
Novak also posted a video showing the Jewish students inside the library, with audible banging noises emanating from outside. Shortly before 6 p.m., he updated his followers that the "besieged" Jewish students were safe and had been escorted out of the library via tunnels.
The New York City Police Department has yet to comment on the incident or respond to Novak's claims about the police's reluctance to intervene.
City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino expressed her dismay at the incident, saying, "No big deal, just a few Jewish kids barricaded in a library while a mob tries to break the doors down to get them. At a prestigious university in New York City. In 2023. Things are going swimmingly in our progressive city."
When questioned about the allegations of Jewish students being trapped in a library at Cooper Union due to fear during the protest, school officials denied the reports. "The Library was closed for approximately 20 minutes while student protestors moved through our building," an official stated. "Some students who were previously in the library remained during this time. All students have now dispersed."
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