A University of Michigan student was arrested after video appeared to show her attacking conservative Jewish influencer Liz Benichou during a reported free-speech event on campus Sunday.
Benichou, who posts online as “basedinmalibu,” said she was hosting an open debate when a woman approached and began shouting. The woman allegedly struck another conservative creator in the face with her phone before turning toward Benichou.
The other creator, Joseph Anthony Redden, known online as “The Older Millennial,” was seated at a folding table displaying signs that asked whether Islam is evil and whether it is compatible with the West. He later said the woman hit him.
According to video of the confrontation, the woman asked where the group’s permit was, called the setup “stupid,” and clapped in Redden’s face. She also complained about what she called “anti-Muslim people.”
Benichou said the woman then approached her, prompting her to say, “You would not be able to do this in Iran.” Benichou said she was referring to free speech and the Iranian government’s treatment of protesters.
Benichou and fellow conservative influencer Cam Higby then challenged the woman about women’s rights in Iran, including the contrast between her clothing and restrictions on women there. In video, Benichou can be heard asking people nearby what would happen if the woman dressed the same way in Iran.
“And then she just lunged,” Benichou later said.
Video appears to show the woman knocking Benichou to the ground with both hands and trying to stomp on her. A man stepped in and pulled her away. The woman shouted at Benichou and tried to get back to her, yelling, “Don’t talk to me like that!” and daring her to come closer.
The woman briefly slipped away from an officer, who soon took her to the ground and began handcuffing her, telling her not to resist. One bystander remarked, “Instant karma,” while another called the woman “rabid.”
As officers restrained her, the woman asked what they were going to do because she had hit someone. While being escorted to a police vehicle, she continued shouting at Benichou, saying she would do it again and that she should have killed her when she had the chance.
Benichou said Monday that the attack injured her lower back. She added that it would not stop her from speaking publicly.
Taylor Sharp, Benichou’s manager and head of the conservative youth organization Liberty Under Fire USA, said Benichou intends to press charges.
The University of Michigan Police Department said the student was taken into custody, processed, and released. The case will be sent to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office for review. Police described the gathering as an “unpermitted political event.”
Benichou said her campus visit was partly prompted by concerns about Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and the positions and campaign funding she wanted to discuss with students. The confrontation comes as Michigan’s closely watched Senate race sharpens political divisions ahead of the midterm elections.


