The president of Cornell University is defending his actions after he was accused of recklessly driving his vehicle through a group of protesters angry about an Israel-Palestine debate hosted by the college.
The incident unfolded on Thursday when a group of people, including students, followed university president Michael Kotlikoff to his car after the debate.
‘I don’t even have the words for it. I was pretty shocked and offended.’
Kotlikoff got into his car and drove off as the people crowded around his car.
One student said the car hit him and ran over his foot, and others said they were peacefully trying to talk to the president.
“As we were still trying to talk to him, he just immediately started reversing into us,” said Aiden Vallecillo, a member of the Students for a Democratic Cornell.
Kotlikoff accused the protesters of trying to harass and intimidate him.
“These individuals are known to Cornell for their past conduct, including a long history of ongoing verbal and online abuse toward numerous members of Cornell’s administration and staff, as well as disruptive protest resulting, in the case of two individuals, in bans from campus,” the president wrote in the statement.
He said the students banged on his car windows, refused to stop yelling questions at him, and blocked the car.
“I waited until I saw space behind the car and then, using my car’s rear pedestrian alert and automatic braking system, was able to slowly maneuver my car from the parking space and exit the parking lot,” Kotlikoff added.
Another student expressed her outrage at the president’s actions.
“I don’t even have the words for it. I was pretty shocked and offended,” said Sophia Arnold, president of the Students for a Democratic Cornell. “A random pedestrian pulling out of a supermarket parking lot would probably have shown more care.”
She went on to claim the students were not intending to block his car.
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Surveillance video of the incident was published in the news video report from WSYR-TV.
“The behavior I experienced last night is not protest,” Kotlikoff concluded in his statement. “It is harassment and intimidation, with the direct motive of silencing speech. It has no place in an academic community, no place in a democracy, and can have no place at Cornell.”
It’s unclear if there’s an investigation under way or if charges will be filed over the incident.
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