Protests Break Out In Yale
A protest at Yale University turned violent on Saturday evening when a Jewish student journalist was allegedly assaulted by a protester wielding a Palestinian flag. Sahar Tartak, editor-in-chief of the Yale Free Press, reported being hit in the eye with the flag while trying to cover the protest, which had drawn hundreds of students in support of Palestinians. Tartak says that she and a friend were targeted by the crowd because they were "identifiably Jewish." The protesters formed a blockade around her, chanting incendiary slogans and preventing her from moving.
The protest had been building up for the week prior, with students setting up a tent encampment and creating a memorial for Walid Daqqa, a Palestinian terrorist. A mock F-16, covered in fake blood, was also created to protest the Israeli military. The event culminated in hundreds of students gathering at the plaza, chanting slogans such as "intifada revolution."
When Tartak went to cover the protest with a friend, they were immediately targeted by the crowd. She said that the protesters formed a human blockade to prevent them from exercising their freedom of movement. At one point, Tartak was separated from her friend and was surrounded by the protesters. She recalls being taunted and hit in the eye with a Palestinian flag. She attempted to pursue her assailant but was blocked by the blockade of students who were allegedly protecting him.
Tartak reported the incident to the police, who called for an ambulance. She was advised by an EMT to go to the hospital for her injury. She believes that the assailant was able to get away due to his anonymity, as his face was covered by a keffiyeh. Tartak also claims that the organizers of the protest encourage anonymity to create immunity for those who commit acts of violence. She believes that the lack of intervention by administrators and campus police enables these violent actions.
Yale Police Department has confirmed that they are investigating the assault during the protest. The university issued a statement condemning violence and stating that they do not tolerate harassment or intimidation of members of their community. Yale University President Peter Salovey also released a statement acknowledging reports of "egregious behavior" at the protest and calling for open and civil discussions on difficult topics.
The weekend's protests at Yale come after similar events at other universities, including Columbia University where over 100 protesters were arrested for setting up an encampment and shouting pro-Hamas slogans.
These demonstrations are a response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which has resulted in numerous casualties on both sides. The Palestinian Health Ministry claims that the war has killed over 30,000 people, although Israel disputes these figures as they do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
Tartak believes that the violence at these protests is a dangerous trend and that allowing it to continue without consequences will only lead to more dangerous situations in the future. She describes the events at Yale as "mob violence" and fears that the protesters will eventually take over college campuses if their actions are not stopped.
Yale University, like many other institutions, prides itself on promoting open dialogue and the pursuit of truth, and it is clear that recent events have challenged these values.