Cornell University President Accused of Backing Into Student in Parking Lot Confrontation
Cornell said surveillance video shows Michael Kotlikoff backing out of a parking space as people stood behind his car after an Israel-Palestinian debate.
- On Sunday, Cornell University released enhanced surveillance footage showing President Michael Kotlikoff backing his car into students near Day Hall, appearing to contradict his earlier account of the Thursday incident.
- President Kotlikoff claimed in a Friday email he was "accosted" and harassed by individuals who blocked his vehicle after a Thursday debate on Israel's response to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
- Students Aiden Vallecillo and Hudson Athas questioned the president about free expression when the vehicle struck them; Athas asked, "Am I allowed to stand here?" before Vallecillo shouted, "You just rolled over my f---ing foot."
- Cornell EMS responded after a 911 call, but Vallecillo says he is "fearful" of pressing charges, arguing that Kotlikoff oversees the police department and released "false information about us and our actions."
- The confrontation followed a debate series hosted by the Cornell Political Union, reflecting broader campus friction over free speech, protest policies, and the administration's response to student activism.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Ivy League President Held Hostage Inside Car By Radical Student Mob
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said he was subjected to “harassment and intimidation” by anti-Israel student protesters who followed him across the campus and surrounded his vehicle after a debate event. The confrontation took place Thursday night following a campus-sponsored “Israel-Palestine Debate Series.” According to Kotlikoff, a group of students began trailing him as he left the event, shouting questions and recording him on their ph…
Dear Cornell kids: Blocking a person’s retreat is threatening his life
A student group at Cornell University claims university president Michael Kotlikoff “hit us with his car” after a debate over Israel. Students for a Democratic Cornell call the incident a “violent response to student inquiry.” It’s quite the story: The University refuses to allow open debate about Israel, and resorts to violence to silence dissent! AMERICA’S LEFT-WING POLITICAL VIOLENCE PROBLEM CANNOT BE MET WITH DENIAL But video released by Cor…
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