By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK — New York University students accused gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino of being a "coward" after canceling an appearance at the school.
Paladino had been scheduled to speak Friday afternoon at an open event at the Kimmel Center's Rosenthal Pavilion.
Instead, NYU's College Republicans gathered at a secret location for a one-on-one meeting with the GOP hopeful, who has been on the defense since telling a group of Brooklyn rabbis that children should not be "brainwashed" into thinking it's OK to be gay.
"He ran away. We found that very cowardly that he didn't want to hear what we have to say," said Maddie Labadie, 21, the president of the NYU College Democrats, who planned to hold a protest against the appearance, which she believes triggered the cancellation.
A Paladino spokesperson did not return requests for comment.
Labadie described NYU as "a sacred haven for LGBT youth," and said she and other students were deeply offended by Paladino's remarks.
The College Democrats, along with the New York State Democrats, held a protest Friday despite the cancellation, but the event was a bust.
Only seven students showed up — fewer than the number of cops.
"College students are unreliable," Labadie said, "but we're passionate."
One of the few in attendance at the protest, Rebecca Racine, 21, an NYU senior who lives in Gramercy, said she was looking forward to hearing Paladino speak, even though she disagrees with most of his views.
"I think it was kind of a cop-out," she said as she stood in Washington Square Park holding a sign reading "CARL = BIGOT."
"It's disappointing that someone who wants to be a top official for the state doesn't want to hear different points of view," she said.
Upper East Sider Luke Knanishu, 21, a student at The New School who is openly gay, said he was also offended by Paladino's comments.
"It just left a bad taste in my mouth," he said.
He also criticized Paladino for the cancellation.
"I thought it was kind of cowardly," he said.
But Todd Hirsch, 18, a freshman at Columbia University who lives in Morningside Heights, disagreed.
The Republican had planned to attend the event, which he hadn't heard had been cancelled until he arrived.
While Hirsch was disappointed he couldn't meet Paladino, he said he knows why the decision was made.
"It's very annoying," he said of the protests that often occur at the liberal-leaning campus when a conservative guest speaks.
"it's really hard. I understand where he's coming from."
