Anti-Israel protesters chant ‘Back to Brooklyn’ at Jewish CUNY students
The incident comes as CUNY police say the school is not prepared for anti-Israel protesters this fall.
'It was very scary,' a local deli owner reportedly said of the event that took place at his shop.
Jewish students from the City University of New York (CUNY) found themselves surrounded by anti-Israel protesters, who chanted “Back to Brooklyn, out the Middle East.”
The incident occurred Sept. 3 at Mr. Broadway Deli — a short walk from several of CUNY’s campuses, according to The New York Post.
“It was very scary,” Moti Zilber, the deli owner, told the publication. “It feels like we’re in Germany over here.”
[RELATED: Jew-haters plaster UMass chancellor’s office with hateful anti-Semitic messages]
In addition to “Back to Brooklyn, out the Middle East,” the protesters also chanted “From the river to the sea.” Over the past year, Campus Reform has covered many instances of college and university students using this particular chant.
“They yelled all kinds of racist things at the students,” Zilber continued. “These were young, violent kids who you can’t even talk to.”
Just last month, CUNY police said that university officials are not prepared for anti-Israel protesters this coming semester. “The university is going into this under fire – they have no idea what’s going to happen,” an anonymous officer told The New York Post. “There’s no preparation.”
“There have been no meetings about any of this,” the officer continued. “Ever since the encampment ended, everyone went on vacation. There’s no ‘Let’s prepare for September.’”
In June, CCNY president Vincent Boudreau said his “one regret” about the anti-Israel encampment that took place on campus was that he let it “harden.”
“Allowing the site to harden,” he said at an online town hall. “That’s my one regret. If what you’re implying is that we have to allow demonstrators free run of the campus … I reject that.”
Campus Reform contacted the City University of New York for comment, asking if there will be any response to the incident. This article will be updated accordingly.
