Brooklyn College Students ‘Let Off the Hook’ After Being Exonerated of Three Charges At Disciplinary Hearing

‘This is a complete and utter whitewash; The message that Brooklyn College sends is crystal clear: we encourage students to threaten and make anti-Semitic remarks’

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) slammed a decision made by Brooklyn College to exonerate its students of anti-Semitic charges brought against them after they interrupted a faculty council meeting months ago with anti-Semitic chants.

After students barged into a faculty council meeting and chanted “Zionists Out of CUNY” and “Zionist pigs” toward Faculty Council Chairman Yedidyah Langsam, the meeting was adjourned. Assemblyman Hikind, who then received phone calls from numerous professors and administrators fearful for their safety, called for CUNY to investigate the incident and for the suspension of the students.

The disciplinary committee, however, found on May 20 two students “not culpable” of three of the four charges. They received a warning for the fourth charge of “failing to comply with lawful directions.”

“I am outraged that students, who threatened a group of administrators with several hateful, anti-Semitic remarks, were exonerated; This is a complete and utter whitewash” Assemblyman Hikind said in disbelief. “I’m sorely disappointed that Brooklyn College has failed to discipline its students for intimidating a group of people; I’m in shock. Brooklyn College missed a great opportunity to set an example that hatred and intimidation will not be tolerated.”

In a press release issued by Palestine Legal, it was documented that “nine professors from seven departments testified that the ‘mic check’ lasted only a few minutes, and that the faculty council meeting need not have been adjourned, that no harm came to the faculty council or university business…”

“I spoke with professors on an individual basis, and they reaffirmed their fear of these students and were intimidated beyond imagination; some even feared for their safety,” Assemblyman Hikind said in response to the release. “By not penalizing students for their hateful actions, we’re only empowering others to repeat this offensive behavior and inviting more instances like this in the future.”

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