CALIFORNIA: During the Bakersfield city council meeting in California on Wednesday, a protester, Riddhi Patel, made alarming threats towards council members and Republican Mayor Karen Goh, citing their lack of support for a ceasefire resolution against Israel and increased security measures at the government building in response to ongoing anti-Israel protests, Fox News reported.
Later on, Patel was taken into custody and charged with felony counts for her threats to the council. Video footage captured Patel saying that she hoped oppressed minorities would guillotine city government members, stating that even Jesus Christ would kill them, and threatening to go to their houses and murder them.
We are outraged that this person invokes Gandhi & Chaitra Navaratri while threatening to murder @Bakersfield_Cal leaders.
The escalation of #antisemitic rhetoric from anti-Israel demonstrations into terroristic threats is a horrific reality that we condemn. It must stop now. pic.twitter.com/zCp1iwrXJu
— Hindu American Foundation (@HinduAmerican) April 13, 2024
According to Fox News, these threats were made in two separate speeches delivered to the city council during the evening. In her initial address, Patel stated that she was speaking in support of the ceasefire resolution and then predicted that the body would decline to support it because “you guys are all horrible human beings and Jesus would’ve killed you himself”.
Following that, she accused the council members of not caring about the oppression of Palestinians or people anywhere else in the world and later expressed hope that “the global south” rise and execute them, as per Fox News. Further, she said, “I remind you that these holidays that we practice, that other people in the global south practice, believe in violent revolution against their oppressors, and I hope one day somebody brings the guillotine and kills all of you”.
During her second speech to the mayor and council, Patel criticized the installation of additional security measures, such as metal detectors, characterizing them as attempts to “criminalize” protesters. She ended her address with a violent threat, declaring, “We’ll see you at your house. We’ll murder you”.
After Patel walked away from the podium, Mayor Goh gestured to the police officers present and then addressed the protester, stating, ” Ms Patel, Ms Patel, that was a threat — what you said at the end. And so the officers are going to escort you out and take care of that”.
Bakersfield Police Sgt. Eric Celedon confirmed to local outlet Bakersfield.com that Patel was taken into custody and faces 16 felony counts. The report detailed these as “eight counts of threatening with intent to terrorise, and eight counts of threatening the seven City Council members and the mayor”.
Anti-Israel protesters, who were there with Patel, tried to distance themselves from the woman after she was arrested. “The comments of Riddhi Patel were shocking. They in no way represent those of us who continue to come to the city council to demand a ceasefire and an end to the genocide (in Gaza). I ask that this does not distract anyone from our mission to end the genocide. Ceasefire now”, a journalist claimed to NBC affiliate. (ANI)