ITHACA, NEW YORK — Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff's car made contact with at least one demonstrator on Thursday night in Ithaca, New York, after protesters surrounded the vehicle following a debate on the Middle East. Footage appeared to show Kotlikoff backing out of a parking space and making contact with one of the protesters outside Goldwin Smith Hall.

Several groups, including Cornell Progressives, Cornellians for Israel, and Students for Justice in Palestine, had gathered at the hall earlier that evening for a Cornell Political Union event focused on the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Video showed students following Kotlikoff to his car and surrounding the vehicle to prevent him from leaving.

Kotlikoff said he was followed by demonstrators all the way to his car after leaving the event and described the encounter as harassment and intimidation. "After answering a few questions, I let them know that I was not planning to engage further, and asked them to stop recording," he said. "Their response to this was, 'No, we are not going to stop.' They continued to follow me to my car and then surrounded the car, banging on the windows, blocking the car, and shouting," Kotlikoff said.

He described how he eventually left the parking lot. "I waited until I saw space behind the car and then, using my car's rear pedestrian alert and automatic braking system, was able to slowly maneuver my car from the parking space and exit the parking lot," he said.

Students for a Democratic Cornell offered a different account of the encounter. The group said Kotlikoff was dismissive of student attempts at dialogue before the collision occurred, and that a posted video showed Kotlikoff backing his car into a student and running over the foot of another.

According to Students for a Democratic Cornell, the student whose foot was run over received on-site medical attention from Cornell EMS. The group said that student expressed fear regarding potential retaliation for pressing charges against the university leadership.