BREAKING: Lawfare Project and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP file lawsuit against Cooper Union for failure to address surge in antisemitism
Today, The Lawfare Project — together with Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP — filed a lawsuit against Cooper Union in New York City on behalf of ten Jewish students. The Complaint alleges that Cooper Union failed to adequately address the surge in antisemitism on campus following the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, which led to a terrifying incident for Jewish students.
On October 25, 2023, an anti-Israel demonstration — which began with calls for the annihilation of Israel and its people — ended with Jewish students locked in the school library as a mob of demonstrators shouted antisemitic slogans while pounding on the glass walls and trying to force the doors open. NYPD officers were called to the scene, but the President of Cooper Union directed them to stand down, leaving the frightened students trapped inside.
The President's failure to intervene on behalf of the students is but one of many examples in which the school has ignored the safety and security of its Jewish student community.
"Cooper Union has failed to adequately protect not just our clients but other Jewish students on campus in the face of pro-Hamas hate," said Brooke Goldstein, founder and Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. "No student should be subjected to intimidation, fear, or hatred when pursuing an education."
This lawsuit comes in the wake of several lawsuits filed by The Lawfare Project against other universities, including Carnegie Mellon and Columbia, for their failure to protect Jewish students on campus.
"Despite the alarming rise in antisemitism, colleges across the United States are turning their backs on Jewish students," said Ziporah Reich, Director of Litigation at The Lawfare Project. "We will do everything we can to fight for our clients as they courageously assert their rights under the law."
This lawsuit seeks significant institutional policy changes and monetary compensation for the plaintiffs.