One Columbia University student, Rory Wilson, attempted to single-handedly prevent anti-Israel protesters from occupying an academic building overnight.
Wilson stood guard at the entrance as the mob pushed against him, trying to delay them until police arrived.
“It was a matter of trying to stand for what I believe is right, even if ultimately we weren’t able to stop the mob,” stated Wilson, a Christian with Israeli relatives.
“They were acting illegally and – apart from what you think about the situation in Israel – we know that this was wrong and inappropriate.”
“Damaging university property, disrupting school activities, violating the university who’s administration had been trying very hard to negotiate with them. I was telling people that this is my protest of your protest, that they were completely out of line and that I was free to stand there as a student on my own campus,” Wilson said.
However, neither campus security nor the NYPD responded to 911 calls despite the escalating situation.
Wilson was dragged away as the mob broke in, smashed windows, and took over the building.
“I was holding out because there were some people signaling to me that police might be coming, so I thought that I could just hold out and make a big barricade to prevent the building from getting damaged, but then they never came,” Wilson said.
“I didn’t want to risk it because a masked mob – when they’re already smashing things, committing vandalism, all hyped up – you don’t know how violent it could turn so that’s why I left.”
“Security was nowhere to be seen. Immediately after exiting, my friends called 911 and I called public safety for campus saying that we had instances of assault because they were physically assaulting us… but there was no response, as far as I can tell, all night,” Wilson said.
“She was harassing me the entire time,” Wilson said. She was saying, ‘Do you guys think you’re white saviors? Check your white male privilege. Who do you think you are? This isn’t doing anything.’”
“So she was just chewing us out the entire time, attacking us for our race and gender.”
The next day, Wilson criticized the university’s inaction, saying students had been assaulted and the campus felt threatened.
While trying to protect university property and uphold students’ rights, Wilson felt the administration had failed to ensure safety.
“I’m very disappointed in the university that they just sent out an email this morning talking about how they care so much about all student’s safety but then when push comes to shove, when there’s an actual dangerous situation, they do nothing,” Wilson said.
He wants real action against violent agitators, saying assurances of care ring hollow without response during dangerous situations.
“And I think that assurance rings very hollow if they’re not willing to actually even show up and deal with situations when they are genuinely dire. When people are exercising their legitimate rights as students of this university to stand peaceably in public areas of the university, they’re being physically assaulted and they do nothing,” he said.
“That really, really makes me disappointed in this university and I think it’s shameful.”
