Cornell University students raging against Israel have ‘convicted’ their college president of genocide during a mock trial they held over the weekend.
The Cornell Coalition for Mutual Liberation occupied a campus building on Friday, chanting anti-Israel slogans before holding a ‘mock trial’ of University President Martha Pollack, for ‘complicity in genocide,’ as the university has ties to Israel.
Just weeks ago, a student was arrested by the FBI after he threatened to shoot up a kosher dining hall and called to kill all Jewish people at Cornell University. The terrifying ordeal has not halted anti-Israel sentiments on campus, however.
The protesters were joined by many other students for the ‘die-in’ – as well as the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.
The chanting students also went into college rooms, disrupting other students who were studying for finals, according to reports.
The Cornell Coalition for Mutual Liberation occupied a campus building on Friday, chanting anti-Israel slogans before holding a ‘mock trial’ of University President Martha Pollack, for ‘complicity in genocide’
The protesters were joined by many other students for the ‘die-in’ – as well as the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter
On Friday, they occupied Day Hall on campus – where they remained until Saturday.
The organizers wrote on social media: ‘As of 1pm on Dec 2, still no update from the University. We will continue the occupation until we have a meeting time with Cornell CFO Christopher Cowen.’
During the ‘trial,’ the students found President Pollack ‘guilty’ of genocide and apartheid because the university does business with Israeli-backed companies.
They created a cardboard cutout of Pollack, and stood her likeness alongside ‘money bags.’ Pro-Palestine students surrounded the effigy with flags and signs.
The group demanded the university comply with a student Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions resolutions – and said that the school ‘is implicated in Israel’s breaches of international law.’
The protesters were also reported to the Dean’s office for disrupting students studying for finals.
A cardboard cutout of the college president is seen next to ‘money bags’ during the mock trial, held by the raging anti-Israel students
The organizers wrote on social media: ‘As of 1pm on Dec 2, still no update from the University. We will continue the occupation until we have a meeting time with Cornell CFO Christopher Cowen’
Last month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered state police to boost patrols of college campuses after a series of horrifying threats were posted to an unofficial Cornell University messaging board.
Hochul met with Jewish students at the upstate Ivy League college after they were violently threatened at the weekend by anti-Semites who encouraged others to, among other things, ‘slit their throats.’
The governor said she was ‘inspired by the students … who are showing incredible strength and unity in response to vile antisemitic threats.’
Cornell – and many other college campuses – has seen a rise in anti-Semitic activity since Hamas’ October 7 terror attack on Israel.
Anti-Semitic graffiti was spray-painted onto campus sidewalks, and prior to that a professor – who has now taken a leave of absence – publicly called the Hamas terror attack ‘exhilarating’ and ‘energizing.’
A series of vile comments directed at the Cornell Hillel’s kosher dining hall began to pop up on a university messaging board.
A free Palestine flag is seen hanging at Cornell
Cornell students protesting against Israel and the university’s involvement with companies that do business with Israel occupied a campus building on Friday
One post, which threatened sexual violence against Jewish women, read: ‘The genocidal fascist Zionist regime will be destroyed.’
Another took specific aim at the Hillel house: ‘The Jewish house on Cornell is yet another literal and symbolic form of apartheid and genocide on campus. It stands on land forcibly stolen from Native people who had their identity erased.
‘It enforces strict dietary and religious customs. In my opinion it should be torn down and the illegal settlers relocated.’
A third, posted by someone with the username ‘kill jews,’ threatened to ‘shoot up 104 west,’ which is the kosher dining hall on campus. ‘Glory to hamas!’ wrote the user.
Other messages warned campus Jews that ‘jihad is coming’ and told them they are ‘human animals’ who ‘deserve a pigs death.’
Cornell Hillel said it was aware of the threats and cautioned students to ‘avoid the building out of an abundance of caution.’ Campus police are providing extra security to the building.
Rabbi Ari Weiss, the executive director of Cornell Hillel: ‘Students are scared. They’re concerned for their safety.’
Cornell President Martha E. Pollack wrote a letter to students about the threats.
‘Threats of violence are absolutely intolerable, and we will work to ensure that the person or people who posted them are punished to the full extent of the law,’ she wrote.
‘We will not tolerate antisemitism at Cornell … the virulence and destructiveness of antisemitism if real and deeply impacting out Jewish students, faculty and staff, as well as the entire Cornell community.
‘This incident highlights the need to combat the forces that are dividing us and driving us toward hate. This cannot be what defines us at Cornell.’
The president of the university added that she had contacted the FBI about the potential hate crime and that Cornell Police are actively investigating the incident.