Loud pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a speaking event for Israeli soldiers on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley on Monday, shouting slurs at Jewish participants such as “dirty Jews” and “pigs.” shouted the words.
On Monday night, several pro-Israel organizations at the University of California, Berkeley, hosted a joint event to bring former Israel Defense Forces soldier Ran Bar Yoshefat to campus.
The event was originally scheduled for Wheeler Hall, but the venue was changed at the last minute due to safety concerns.
Pro-Palestinian protesters were able to find a new venue before the event was scheduled to begin, said Elijah Feldman, a UC Berkeley junior and member of the Israel Student Support Committee.
“Within about five minutes of arriving, they started getting very aggressive and lunged toward the door,” Feldman said.
Officials said about 200 people disrupted the discussion on campus.
The demonstrators blocked the venue’s doors, preventing many participants from entering or exiting the building.
Sharon Nafelman, a sophomore at the University of California at Berkeley and a member of Israel Student Support, said only about a third of the planned participants were able to get into the venue because of the “barrage” of protesters.
Knafelman claims that she asked a UCPD officer to escort her and several friends into the event hall, but was refused, leaving them to enter alone through a group of protesters. There is.
She told Fox News that two of her friends were physically assaulted as they entered the venue.
“When we enter the building, we are filled with anxiety. We all feel panic seeing the rioters outside, and we understand that our safety is at risk,” Nafelman said.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators shouted several derogatory terms at the students who attended the event, including “dirty Jew,” “Nazi” and “pig.”
“This was used against Jews in Europe centuries ago. We were called dirty pigs, even pigs, and it’s being used against us again.” Nafelman says.
Immediately after Yoshefat took the stage, protesters broke several windows, passed UCPD officers and forced their way through a door, pouring into the event venue.
UCPD evacuated the speakers and students in attendance through a back door to protect them. Knafelman said she was evacuated with other students.
“I think the very experience of having to be mostly hidden as a Jewish student at a public university is what makes me feel like I’m not safe here, even though I paid to belong.” I’m not welcome here. ”
Despite the horrifying events that Jewish students faced on Monday, Feldman and Nafelman vowed that Student Support for Israel will continue to host events on UC Berkeley’s campus and publicly support Israel. swear.
Students who support Israel told Fox News they have yet to receive any support or an apology from UC Berkeley or UCPD for failing to ensure the event could be held safely.
Berkeley President Carol Crist and Executive Vice President and Provost Benjamin Hermarin apologized for the confusion.
In a statement released Tuesday, they condemned the violent protests as an “attack on the university’s fundamental values.”
“We write today with great sadness, concern, and dismay following the incident that occurred on our campus last night. This incident violates not only our rules, but also our It also violated some of our most fundamental values,” the official said.
“We would like to express our deep remorse and sympathy to the students and members of the public who were inside the building fearing for their safety,” they said.
In a statement, officials vowed to enforce school rules against violent protests and ensure violators are punished if they endanger others.
“We deeply respect the right to protest as inherent in our democracy and the values of institutions of higher education. We cannot ignore our work. We cannot condone the use or threat of force that violates the First Amendment rights of speakers, no matter how much we disagree with their views. We cannot tolerate the use or threat of force that endangers members of our community and denies them the ability to feel safe and welcome on campus. We cannot transfer our values to people.”
