New York. An Indian-American has been arrested after threatening to “kill” a mayor and city council members during a local council hearing in Bakersfield, California. Riddhi Patel, 28, expressed his disappointment at council members for not supporting a ceasefire resolution against Israel in Gaza and for tightening security measures outside government buildings due to anti-Israel protests in the US. Also read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Mahasamund seat stuck between Bindranavagarh and Rajim, Sahu community will also become a big factor.
Riddhi Patel, who faces 16 felony charges, also quoted Mahatma Gandhi during her speech and said that “Jesus Christ would probably” have killed all the council members for not supporting the resolution. A video of his comment has gone viral on social media.
She said, “…You people, who voted to win in Bakersfield, parade around Gandhi, and this week begins a Hindu holiday called Chaitra Navratri. I remind you that these holidays that we practice, that other people in the global South also practice, believe in violent revolution against their oppressors,” Patel continued, “and I hope that one day, Someone will bring a guillotine and kill you all.”
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Patel continued his speech by saying that those elected to the post will “stab you in the back” and “leave you to die”. He claimed that anti-Israel protesters were being “criminalized with metal detectors”, and he threatened Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh and city council members, saying, “We will see you at your house, we will murder you .”
As Patel returned to her seat after her remarks, Goh signaled to the police officers present inside the hall and informed the Indian American woman about his threats. He said, “Ms Patel, that was a threat, what you said at the end. And so the officers will take you out and take care of you.”
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Bakersfield Police Sergeant Eric Celadon said Patel was taken into custody and charged with 16 felonies, Fox News reported. Of the 16 felony cases, eight were related to making threats with intent to terrorize and eight were related to making threats against the mayor and city council members. Anti-Israel protesters present with Patel distanced themselves from his comments, calling them “shocking.”
The Hindu American Foundation, a Washington DC-based non-profit advocacy group, condemned the threatening comments made by Patel. The foundation said, “We are outraged that this individual referenced Gandhi and Chaitra Navratri while threatening to kill Bakersfield leaders. The transformation of anti-Semitic rhetoric from anti-Israel protests into terrorist threats is a horrific reality that we condemn. This must stop now.”
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Several countries and international organizations, including the US, have been pressing Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza following the six-month-old war that began due to a surprise Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year, which has claimed more than 33,000 lives. .