Cornell publishes footage defending president from claims he hit anti-Israel activists with car

Cornell University has taken the unprecedented step of releasing video evidence to defend its president, Michael Kotlikoff, against serious accusations made by student activists. The footage, released Sunday, aims to exonerate Kotlikoff from claims that he struck two students with his car after a debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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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.

According to the university, President Kotlikoff was followed and harassed by a group of students and non-students after the event. He stated that his car was surrounded, and he used its pedestrian alert and automatic braking system to slowly maneuver out of the parking space. The released video appears to support this account, showing students behind the car as it reversed, with one student being pushed back.

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The behavior I experienced last night is not protest. It is harassment and intimidation, with the direct motive of silencing speech.

However, Students for a Democratic Cornell (SDC) has challenged the university's narrative, reiterating their claim that Kotlikoff hit two students and fled the scene. SDC has criticized the university's actions as a strategy to suppress nonviolent protest and has questioned the footage released by Cornell. This incident highlights the deep divisions and intense activism on campus regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides presenting starkly different interpretations of events.

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This incident is representative of the administration’s strategy of ignoring, intimidating, or otherwise illegitimizing students who oppose the repression of nonviolent protest.