A Jewish journalism student at Yale University, Sahar Tartak, was allegedly attacked while covering a protest on Saturday night. According to Tartak, she was surrounded by activists and jabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag pole. Tartak is the editor-in-chief of the Yale Free Press.
In her post on X, Tartak claimed that while reporting on the anti-Israel protest, she and a friend were singled out due to their Hasidic Jewish attire. This caused a crowd to form around them while filming, and Tartak was hit in the eye with the end of a Palestinian flag. She stated that the attack occurred because they were visibly Jewish students trying to document the rally.
The incident was caught on camera by Tartak in a video that shows a protester circling her with a Palestinian flag, while she yells in response. She can be heard saying, “Ow, ow you’re stab[bing]” before the clip cuts out. Tartak also claimed that she tried to pursue the person who assaulted her, but protesters formed a “human blockade” to stop her.
After the incident, Tartak recorded a conversation with one of the protest organizers. In the video, the organizer can be heard questioning what Tartak wants to achieve from the situation. When she said that she wants the person who assaulted her to be removed from the protest, the organizer agreed, stating that everyone wants the rally to be peaceful. However, Tartak suspected that they were stalling her from finding her attacker.
Other videos posted by Tartak show pro-Palestine protesters marching in a circle, surrounding the Jewish student and backing her against a wall. At one point, a protester can be heard asking others to come against the wall, while Tartak questions their motives. She can be heard saying, “So they can come against the wall so they can knock into me? Nice idea.”
After this Yale student jabbed my eye with his flag, I tried to yell and run after him. But the people in this video made a human blockade to stop me from confronting my assaulter. They stood in front of me in a line throughout the night pic.twitter.com/R4LfHqN6TN
— Sahar Tartak???????????????? (@sahar_tartak) April 21, 2024
The chaotic night also included students cheering as they brought down an American flag on campus, shouting, “Viva viva Palestina.” Another video shows pro-Palestine activists playing a rap song, titled “Free Palestine Bitch, Israel Gon’ Die Bitch.”
According to reports, Yale officials are investigating the incident. University President Peter Salovey released a statement condemning the “egregious behavior” that took place during the protest. He acknowledged the reports of intimidation, harassment, pushing people in crowds, and the removal of the campus flag.