During a Cornell-hosted March panel on the Israel-Palestine conflict, 17 protesters were detained or arrested for disrupting the event with coordinated chanting and a walkout.
Now, released body camera footage shows the chief administrator for the office of the president, Kristin Hopkins, expressing dissatisfaction over the number of detainments on behalf of an individual referred to as “Mike.” She stated in an interaction with police that he “was just hoping the number would be more than eight.”
The University declined to confirm whether Hopkins’ mention of “Mike” was in reference to President Michael Kotlikoff.
The panel, named Pathways to Peace, brought together leading scholars, policymakers and regional experts to discuss the paths forward for Israel and Palestine.
Prior to the event, Students for Justice in Palestine announced a walkout, publishing an opinion piece in The Sun denouncing the University for hosting “alleged war criminals and collaborators.” SJP later faced suspension for its role in “advertising and organizing” the walkout, according to a statement released by Kotlikoff.
After initially interrupting the panelists and an onstage warning from Kotlikoff that further disturbance would result in removal, protesters escalated their disruption as they began the walk-out, resulting in their detainment, and in some cases, arrests.
Police body camera footage released in court shows Hopkins asking police officers about the number of “IDs” collected.
“Do you feel like you’ve gotten a decent amount?” Hopkins asked the police officers in reference to the number of IDs the officers had collected from protesters at the event. One officer replied, “six to eight,” and Hopkins can then be seen texting on a cell phone following the response. She then explained to the officer that “Mike” was asking about the number of protesters detained.
Later, Hopkins tells the officer that “Mike” was “just hoping the number would be more than eight,” according to the body camera footage. Another officer assures that “there probably is more,” in reference to additional protesters they could detain.
In total, “Cornell University Police identified 17 people responsible” for the disruption and nine students were referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, according to Kotlikoff’s statement about the disruption.
Kotlikoff told The Sun directly after the panel that the protesters caused a “disruptive event” and that their demonstration was “not freedom of speech,” but rather “infringing on someone else’s freedom of speech.”
“I find that very unfortunate that people come not to listen to individuals that have significant expertise, but rather to disrupt the event,” Kotlikoff told The Sun. “I don’t think that’s how learning occurs, and I expect more from Cornell students.”
Daniel Creamer, a non-student protester who was detained at the panel, told The Sun that he “was not surprised” by the body camera footage.
“I was not under the impression that Kotlikoff liked protesters … or that he was a neutral party simply doing his job,” Creamer, an Ithaca local, said. “He has sided with the right wing many times, as is very typical for an elitist university that funds genocide.”
Creamer also told The Sun that he believes that the police officers “were under a ton of pressure” to arrest a “significant number of people” at the event.
“The process of being detained was very unorganized, and it felt like they wanted to hit a certain number of people in [hand]cuffs,” Creamer said. “I remember them taking me out to the car and talking about locking me to the floor. The process was just so strange.”
In Ithaca City Court, Creamer declined the six-month adjournment in contemplation of dismissal that he was offered. An ACD refers to a deal where a criminal case is dismissed following a predetermined period without future legal trouble.
In an April interview with The Sun, Creamer said that the ACDs were “arbitrary” and “ridiculous” and could prevent his ability to protest in the future. According to a July statement from the Coalition for Mutual Liberation, Creamer eventually accepted an ACD negotiated down to just three weeks, which expired on Aug. 15.
In a column Kotlikoff wrote in The Sun promoting the event, he envisioned the panel as upholding “civil discourse around one of the most complex socio-political conflicts.”
Later, in an opinion piece published in The New York Times, Kotlikoff described that he was "disappointed" but “not surprised or deterred” by the disruption that occurred. He stated that the University had “expected it and [was] prepared.”
“The few students and staff members who had come only to disrupt were warned, warned again and then swiftly removed.” Kotlikoff wrote. “They now face university discipline.
Zeinab Faraj is a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the features editor on the 143rd Editorial Board and was the assistant sports editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
