NEW YORK (WABC) — Mayor Eric Adams held a roundtable discussion at City Hall on Monday with Jewish students to discuss antisemitism on CUNY campuses.
Video from outdoors a kosher restaurant in Midtown on Sept. 3 confirmed pro-Palestinian pupil protesters carrying photographs of assault rifles and threatening Jewish students.
A gaggle of Baruch College students had been on the receiving finish.
“At first it was very shocking… you started getting scared, what's happening here. And then very anxious,” stated pupil Ernest Rafailov.
The CUNY Jewish students had been adopted to the restaurant the place the mob blockaded the doorway, slammed the home windows, and hurled insults at Jewish patrons.
The students known as police, however they are saying cops did little to assist.
“They came to the scene about 30 minutes after we called them, they really didn't do anything after we called them, they kinda just stood and watched,” stated pupil Aidan Herzlinger.
It's due to fears and issues like theirs that Adams held the roundtable discussion at City Hall.
“When people are able to say they are Hamas, we may hate that, but that's protected speech in this country, and we have to find the balance of making sure we raise our voices to counter the hate we are seeing,” Adams stated.
“Free expression is vital to a free society, but there's a difference between free expression and harassment,” stated Rep. Ritchie Torres. “There's a difference between free expression and intimidation. And what we're seeing in our colleges and universities is the creation of a hostile environment.”
Students stated they got here away with a greater understanding of what police can and can't do in these varieties of conditions.
They stated they nonetheless really feel the police response wasn't sufficient, however stated they suppose there can be change shifting ahead.
Meanwhile the students stated the harassment on campuses have change into extra intense in contrast to final faculty 12 months. They suppose protesters have change into extra emboldened as a result of they are saying final faculty 12 months there have been no penalties.
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