A disturbing scene unfolded on a Canadian university campus, according to an account from a man who claims that he and his friend were surrounded, assaulted, and had campus police fail to intervene while demonstrating with an Israeli flag.
Video: Man wearing Israeli flag attacked on Toronto campus / Credit: X
The man, who remained anonymous, stated on Instagram: "I was walking with an Israeli flag, there were only two of us surrounded by these 'peaceful protestors.' I got surrounded by pro-Hamas protesters. They tried to take away my flag. I wouldn't give it, then they started punching me in the stomach but I managed to hold on to the flag."
?University of Toronto. 2024. And I can't believe I have to share this story and these 3 videos (?2 videos to follow) ...
A Jewish man is walking with his Israeli flag. Suddenly, he's surrounded by keffiyeh-masked pro-Hamasniks.
Here is a copy-and-paste of what the man wrote… pic.twitter.com/Vn4kXqNYBt
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) May 5, 2024
The harrowing allegations continue, "People who played drums were hitting me with them and they would all follow me around the campus even after police came and I was giving a statement. Protesters were waiting outside the building because they wanted to harm me after."
"Go back to Europe," say the keffiyeh-masked thugs. As the man proceeds to bless Canada.
Also "Go back to Europe" isn't a mere slight against Jews. It's another way to say go back to the gas chambers. pic.twitter.com/6Jlt4UcaLM
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) May 5, 2024
According to the man and his friend, the situation rapidly escalated to the point of requiring a police escort. "Police later on escorted me out and gave me a Lyft because it was a life-threatening situation. That's my friend running away, literally running away from at least 7-10 people, calling for help and police."
"Police! Police!" Running from campus police. pic.twitter.com/YYSi5TOu43
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) May 5, 2024
Most shockingly, the account claims campus law enforcement was unwilling or unable to adequately respond. "Campus cops were just looking at us getting assaulted and didn't want to intervene because as they said 'we don't have enough resources to keep you guys safe because we would put ourselves in danger if we decide to protect you.'" The man also called the police, which "never arrived."
The university has not yet released any official statement regarding the alleged assault on pro-Israel demonstrators or accusations of police inaction. However, the first-hand account paints a chaotic and alarming scene of violence and hate-motivated attacks.
As tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continue to heighten both locally and internationally, this reported incident raises serious concerns about protecting freedom of speech and maintaining safety on university campuses.
