On Thursday, a group of “out-of-control” pro-Palestinian demonstrators stormed Rutgers University’s City Hall, shouting anti-Israel slogans such as “One Solution, Intifada Revolution,” before they and Jewish students were escorted out. students told Fox News Digital this weekend that they were removed by police who forced officials to end the meeting early.
The student, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, said Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway and administrators “pushed Jewish and pro-Israel students to deal with an unruly and clearly anti-Semitic crowd. I left him there and ran away,” he said. Jews after the regime left. ”
Police then ushered the students out the back door because it was too dangerous to exit through the front door, they said.
Cory Rosbort, an attorney at Maisie, Slater & Freeman who is representing student Rifka Schaefer along with another student, said it was a “horrifying experience” for the Jewish people in attendance.
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Rosbort said Jewish students “went to City Hall to get answers from President Holloway. They wanted to know what the president was going to do to protect them on campus, but instead they I was subjected to exactly the same behavior.” seeking protection from ”
Schaefer’s City Hall video shows pro-Palestinian protesters chanting after Holloway said he had no intention of severing ties with the university’s partner, Tel Aviv University. I can see it starting.
2 referendums
Rosbort said the town hall was sponsored by the Rutgers University Student Assembly, which also conducted two BDS referendums to sever ties with Tel Aviv University and divest from anything related to Israel. .
BDS is a pro-Palestinian movement, which stands for “Boycott, Divest and Sanctions,” and “targets only Israel, the only Jewish state,” Rosbort told Fox News Digital. “It aims to economically isolate and fundamentally discriminate against the Jewish state.”
Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway spoke at City Hall on Thursday before being interrupted by anti-Israel demonstrators. (House Education and Labor Committee)
He said many states, including New Jersey, have adopted anti-BDS laws that state that “the government will not finance or provide pension funds or do business with any company that promotes or supports BDS.” Stated.
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Rosbort said the Rutgers administration was told that the BDS referendum could “incite anti-Semitic acts,” but “Rutgers said it was not going to do anything.”
“Civic practice”
Rosbort said Holloway sent an email to students defending the decision not to cancel the referendum. “In that, he cites one reason: I fundamentally believe in student government, and two, I expect students to participate in responsible civic activities.” he says.”
In addition to this meeting, Rosbort said that Schaefer was also targeted by pro-Palestinian students in his dormitory the same week the BDS referendum took place. When she woke up one morning, she found “flyers with pro-Palestinian language related to the BDS referendum posted outside her room and on every floor throughout the dormitory.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators chant chants at a town hall event at Rutgers University. (House Education and Labor Committee)
She filed a report with the Rutgers University Police Department, but told the New York Post she felt “completely unsafe” and “targeted” because of her religious beliefs.
“Targeted”
“It’s clear they’re targeting where she sleeps, and this is an intimidation tactic, with a message to Jewish students and Rybka saying, ‘Don’t support Israel, we know where you sleep. ’” Rosbort said. He said. “That’s the definition of bias, so I’ve been helping Rybka navigate those waters.”
Despite the incident, Schaefer went to City Hall.
“Mr. Rybka is a very brave man, and he was not going to allow these people to silence him and suppress his ability to support Israel,” he added.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators chant chants at City Hall on Thursday. (House Education and Labor Committee)
Rosbort said many anti-Semitic acts are not overt, but rather take place through “classic school bullying behavior” such as text messages, group chats through WhatsApp and other online messaging applications. He said he learned this from his students.
anti-semitic incident
He said Schaefer was once in a chess group chat, and “suddenly the president of the chess group suddenly started saying things like boycott Israel and don’t spend your tuition money on murderers and genocide.” “I shared a message.” He said Schaefer told him, “I can no longer join the chess club and I’m not welcome here.”
He said there have been other anti-Semitic incidents on campus.
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Rivka Schaefer recently found her face plastered on pro-Palestinian flyers placed around her dormitory. (Courtesy of Corey Rossbort)
“How can you have a culture where it is acceptable to scream for a one-state solution? How can you have a culture that screams globalization of the intifada, long live the intifada, or the only solution, the intifada revolution? ?I mean, that’s anti-Semitism.’It targets Jews,” Rosbort said.
He said Rutgers University defended its “inaction” on “First Amendment” grounds, saying it “has the right to say what it wants to say. Well, that’s not true. First Amendment.” does not and does not protect all types of speech.” “It doesn’t protect all kinds of conduct. It doesn’t protect speech that incites violence. It doesn’t protect hateful conduct.”
“It’s clear they’re targeting where she sleeps, and this is an intimidation tactic, a threat to both Jewish students and Rybka, saying, ‘Don’t support Israel, we don’t know where you sleep. Cory Rosbort, attorney for Rutgers student Rivka Schaefer.
Schaefer has not yet decided to sue the school. “We are considering our options and a criminal investigation is ongoing,” Rosbort explained.
Rutgers and other universities “cannot continue to say, ‘Well, we can’t do anything,’ because of First Amendment rights,” Rosbort said. “You have a duty and a legal obligation to ensure that students are not bullied, intimidated, harassed, or discriminated against because of their religion or other characteristics.”
In a statement about the City Hall incident, Rutgers University told FOX News Digital: “We disagree with President Holloway’s belief that the BDS movement is wrong and counterproductive, and the university opposes the continued partnership between Rutgers and Tel Aviv University. “Students who disagreed with the president’s support disrupted the meeting.” At a Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) meeting, the president was discussing topics of interest to RUSA. ”
rutgers university (Rutgers University)
“RUSA leaders concluded the meeting, and President Holloway, the Rutgers University Police Department driver, and other attendees left the meeting without incident.”
“Involvement, not isolation”
On April 1, Holloway said in a statement: “When it comes to the issue of divestment, I think the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is wrong. I believe in engagement, not isolation. “It comes from engagement, and I believe it will last.” “Progress and peace are the fruits of diplomacy and debate. Also know that the University’s Joint Committee on Investment has authority over investment policy. A request was submitted to the commission in 2020 but was not acted upon,” the Forward said.
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“Our partnership with TAU further strengthens our fundamental academic and research mission. This relationship was first established in 2016 and continues at HELIX, a new research facility in downtown New Brunswick. I visited Tel Aviv in 2021 with a delegation from New Jersey to renew the Memorandum of Understanding establishing our partnership and to demonstrate my commitment to global academic exchange and international engagement with Rutgers. The University has relationships like these with universities around the world, and they help advance our mission.”
