Once, students at Columbia University protested against the violence in Gaza. The university called the police, and some people on Fox News wanted the protesters to be hurt or killed. It was clear that something bad might happen. Sadly, it did. Someone drove a car into the protesters, and one person got hurt badly. They had to go to the hospital in an ambulance.
According to Talia Jane, who is Jewish, a real estate developer named Reuven Kahane drove up to the protesters outside the house of a Columbia trustee. He asked for a flyer, but instead of taking it, he grabbed someone’s arm and drove away. Then he drove his car around the block, sometimes getting too close to the sidewalk, and aimed his car at the protesters.
One person at the back of the protest tried to stop Kahane, but he hit her with his car anyway. Another person stood in front of Kahane’s car to protect the crowd, but the police later arrested them. The first person who got hit called for an ambulance because her leg was hurt. Kahane got arrested too, and the person who got hit had to stay in the hospital.
Independent journalist Marisa Kabas confirmed that the police arrested Reuven Kahane. He’s charged with second-degree assault, which is a serious crime. Kabas also said that the person who got hit is a 55-year-old woman and is charged with some crimes too. The person who stood in front of Kahane’s car is also facing charges. The safety team was made of people who weren’t students.
Talia Jane also said she saw a video where the police officer insulted the student protesters. He called them bad names and blamed them for what happened. But it’s not right to hurt people with a car just because you don’t like them. No matter how annoyed you are, hurting others with a deadly weapon is never okay.
