Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff said he was harassed and intimidated on campus last week during an encounter with protesters that included his vehicle backing into a student, according to video of the incident.
Incident outside campus event
The encounter happened Thursday, April 30, near Day Hall at Cornell University after Kotlikoff gave remarks at an Israel-Palestine debate event at Goldwin Smith Hall on the Arts Quad.
The event was hosted by the Cornell Political Union and co-sponsored by campus groups including Cornell Progressives, Cornellians for Israel and Students for Justice in Palestine.
Video shows moment of contact
Video circulating online shows Kotlikoff’s vehicle reversing at low speed into a student standing behind it. The car stops after the student shouts that his foot was struck.
Additional footage released by the university shows the vehicle backing out of a parking space as several people move around it.
Kotlikoff describes harassment
In a letter sent Friday, Kotlikoff said he was confronted and followed by a small group, including students, as he left the event.
“As I left the event room, I was accosted by a group of several individuals in the hall, among them students and non-students,” he wrote.
“These individuals followed me from the event space and across campus, while loudly shouting questions and recording on their phones.”
Kotlikoff said the group continued to follow him to his car, where they surrounded the vehicle.
“They continued to follow me to my car and then surrounded the car, banging on the windows, blocking the car, and shouting,” he wrote.
He said he waited for space behind the vehicle before slowly backing out using safety features.
“The behavior I experienced last night is not protest. It is harassment and intimidation, with the direct motive of silencing speech,” Kotlikoff wrote. “It has no place in an academic community, no place in a democracy, and can have no place at Cornell.”
Investigation and response
Cornell released security video of the incident Sunday from two angles. The footage shows the vehicle pausing as people move around it while it backs out of a parking space.
No additional details about injuries or potential disciplinary action were immediately released.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Video shows Cornell University president’s car backing into student during protest
Reporting by Victoria E. Freile, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
