In a shocking incident at the University of California-Berkeley (UC Berkeley), Jewish students were compelled to evacuate the campus. This was due to an aggressive group of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators who disrupted their speaking event featuring Ran Bar-Yoshafat, a soldier from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
A talk titled “Israel at War: Combat the Lies,” scheduled to take place at Zellerbach Playhouse on UC Berkeley’s campus, was abruptly halted on Monday night. A horde of protesters stormed the venue, chanting “Long live the Intifada!” and shattering glass doors of the building where the event was supposed to occur.
Additional footage shared on social media showed some anti-Israel protesters infiltrating the venue before the commencement of the event. One protester, wearing a keffiyeh, can be heard telling a student to leave. The student retorted by stating that it was a private event and that they were unwelcome.
The student further asserted that these protesters were terrorizing Jewish students and compared them to Nazis. He urged them to stop harassing them and leave.
Other video clips depict protesters banging on glass doors outside the building. They held signs reading “Students Against Zionism,” “Stop the Genocide,” and “Long Live the Intifada!” Protesters were also seen breaking glass doors and then attempting to flee, seemingly trying to evade accountability for their actions.
“You got what you deserve!” one protester yelled as they began chanting again, “Long live the Intifada!”
Another protester shouted about people’s ancestors and “bloodshed,” adding, “Your arrogance and your shame you will tell your grandchildren you did nothing about!”
Ran Bar-Yoshafat expressed his views to Daily Wire, stating that the issue was not about IDF, Jews, or Israel. Instead, he believed it was about the protesters’ lack of Western values like freedom of speech.
Bar-Yoshafat revealed that due to security concerns, the event’s location had been changed multiple times. He was also asked to arrive on campus in disguise. He described his experience of entering a room filled with around 40 student protesters and hundreds more outside the building.
He expressed his sympathy for the students who were scared and shocked by the violent behavior of the protesters. Bar-Yoshafat criticized UC Berkeley for allowing such disruption and violence during a peaceful speaking event.
He stated that instead of providing more security to them, they rewarded those who were violent. The speaking engagement had to be moved off-campus to a secret location due to these circumstances.
Bar-Yoshafat concluded by saying that Berkeley is on the wrong side of history and is no longer a safe place for Jews.
The Hillel chapter at UC Berkeley released a statement expressing their horror and sadness over this incident. They condemned such acts of intimidation and violence against Jewish and Israeli students.
In 1964, Berkeley was known as the home of the Free Speech Movement which advocated for tolerance towards any political speech on campus. Ironically, many activists today seem to oppose free speech.
Source: Jewish Students at UC Berkley Evacuated via Tunnels Amid IDF Soldier’s Address
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