Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Violent mob forces Jewish students to evacuate through tunnel at UC Berkeley event
A pro-Israel event at UC Berkeley turned chaotic Monday night as Jewish students were forced to evacuate through underground tunnels due to a violent mob of anti-Israel protestors.
The event, titled 'Israel at War: Combat the Lies,' featured Ran Bar-Yoshafat, an IDF reservist who served in Gaza during the current war.
According to reports, several hundred protestors gathered outside the Zellerbach Playhouse, chanting "Intifada! Intifada!" and banging on doors. The situation escalated when the protestors broke a glass door and attempted to force their way into the building. In the chaos, multiple students were injured, with one young woman reportedly hurt while trying to hold a door shut against the aggressive mob.
Eyewitnesses recounted disturbing scenes of physical aggression, with one student witnessing a girl being grabbed by the neck and shoved. Another student reported being verbally assaulted with anti-Semitic slurs and spat at.
Faced with the escalating violence, security guards directed event attendees to evacuate through underground tunnels to ensure their safety. The protest, organized by Bears for Palestine, a local affiliate of the Students for Justice in Palestine movement, drew condemnation from university officials.
University spokesperson Dan Mogulof described the protest as "despicable" and confirmed damage to a door and multiple windows. He criticized the "willingness and readiness of that mob to engage in violent behavior."
Bar-Yoshafat, the IDF reservist, condemned the protestors' actions, emphasizing that the incident was not just an attack on Israel or Jews but also a violation of Western values like freedom of speech. He expressed concern for the safety of the students caught in the chaotic situation, noting that many were shocked by the unexpected violence.
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