April 13 :
In Bakersfield, California — In her initial court appearance on April 12, an Indian American Palestinian supporter who was arrested for threatening the murder of Bakersfield, California Mayor Goh and local city council members entered a not guilty plea to sixteen charges.
Here in Kern County, 28-year-old Riddhi Patel is being held on $2 million bond at the Lerdo pre-trial facility. She faces ten counts of "threatening with intent to terrorise" and eight counts of threatening public authorities, all of which are considered felonies. Despite her strong plea of not guilty, Patel sobbed her way through her arraignment while being led to the courtroom in handcuffs.
The maximum term for each charge is three years in prison. The maximum sentence that Patel might receive if found guilty is 54 years in jail.
During the Bakersfield City Council meeting on April 10, where members were discussing whether to back a motion requesting an immediate end to the fighting in Gaza, Patel made the threats. The Associated Press reported that 1,410 Israelis and 33,091 Palestinians have been killed so far in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In addition to beefing up security measures, the City Council has installed metal detectors at the building's entrance. For the past five years, I have made it a point to attend city council meetings. Although police and metal detectors have never been present, Patel made this declaration during the meeting's public comment period. "People are resisting, and you want to criminalise them, so that's why you're doing this."
"I don't have faith that you will pass it," Patel told the city council regarding the proposed resolution to end hostilities. You people are just despicable. A guillotine should be brought someday and all you f*****s should be killed.
Meeting at your residence is our plan. Patel proclaimed, "We will murder you," as she stepped down from the podium. "Miss Patel, that was a direct threat," Mayor Goh yelled out to her as she settled into her seat. "The police will handle it."
Outside of City Hall, Patel was led by officers. A short time later, she was taken into custody and incarcerated. She has a booking record that shows her next court appearance is on April 16th.
The Centre on Race, Poverty & the Environment is a national environmental justice organisation, and Patel is a coordinator for economic development there. The Bakersfield City Council was asked by her organisation, the United Liberation Front, to demand an end to the fighting in Gaza.
On the same night that Patel was arrested, the ULF released a statement condemning her behaviour. The United Liberation Front strongly rejects any rhetoric that insinuates a threat against public servants. A member of the United Liberation Front made remarks tonight that are not representative of the group and go against its principles, the group said in a statement. "It fails to reflect the community members who are actively participating in their civic duty by communicating directly with their representatives in elected office."
One hundred US communities have formally demanded an end to the fighting in Gaza, according to the ULF.
The arrest of Patel coincides with a time of increased tensions in the United States over the Israel-Hamas conflict, particularly on college campuses around the country. According to reports, Palestinian Muslim law student Malak Afaneh was assaulted on April 9 by UC Berkeley law professor Catherine Fisk.
This happened at Fisk's house, at a party for graduate students: the lecturer seized the student's arm so she couldn't play a movie.
According to Afaneh's account, she was assaulted by Fisk due to her identity as a Muslim woman who was bold enough to wear the headscarf and keffiyeh while speaking Arabic, her native language.Fisk is married to Erwin Chemerinsky, the law dean of UC Berkeley.
