Berkeley slammed over violent pro-Palestinian mob after Jewish students report being choked, spit at
March 5, 2024
The University of California at Berkeley, which is already facing a federal lawsuit and a separate Education Department probe into its law school over antisemitism allegations, is being slammed for its response to a violent pro-Palestinian mob that broke open doors of a pro-Israel speaking event, resulting in the event being shut down as Jewish students reported being choked and spat at by protestors.
“The attack on the building, and on the event, was an attack on the fundamental values of the university, which are also essential to maintain and nurture open inquiry and an inclusive civil society, the bedrock of a genuinely democratic nation,” Berkeley administrators said last week after the event was shut down.
The statement also acknowledged how “Doors were broken open and the protesters gained unauthorized entry to the building,” causing the event to be canceled and the building to be evacuated.
The speaker whose event was shut down, Israeli lawyer Ran Bar-Yoshafat, told The Washington Free Beacon on Friday that he has not received an apology from Berkeley. “No one from Berkeley has contacted me since, or tried to contact me, even.”
Danielle Sobkin, a third-year student and co-president of the pro-Israel student organization that planned the event, criticized the university’s response for not mentioning the word “antisemitism.”
“I think the entire response is a huge failure on the part of the administration, on the part of the chancellor,” Sobkin told Jewish Insider. “And I think students are just really disappointed that fear and the Jewish hate that was so blatantly perpetuated on Monday night has been essentially sidelined, not being recognized, nor has anything been done about it.”
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