Cornell has released footage of pro-Palestinian activists pushing past police at a Sept. 18 protest that shut down a career fair in Statler Hotel featuring defense contractors Boeing and L3Harris. The three-minute-long video, which includes footage from Cornell University Police Department officers’ body cameras and a main lobby camera, shows the moment when masked students breached the entrance and shut down the event.
The footage, released on Saturday, refutes claims from student activists that the protest was peaceful.
In the video, several CUPD officers can be seen guarding The Statler’s entrance. Three of the officers formed a barricade across the building’s sliding doors, briefly holding up their arms to provide resistance before protesters shoved past.
According to a statement by Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina, many community members had asked that video evidence of the “forceful entry” be made available.
“Having completed the preliminary criminal investigation of the event, we are providing video that shows initial forced entry at the Statler lobby and disruptive activity inside the Career Fair,” Malina wrote.
The University has stated that it has used photo and video evidence to identify and refer for disciplinary action 19 activists at the career fair disruption.
Eric Reilly is a graduating senior from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He served as the Assistant Managing Editor on The Sun’s 142nd Masthead and News Editor on the 141st Masthead. He can be reached at ereilly@cornellsun.com.
