Jews, pro-Palestinians protest alleged Berkeley attack

U.C. Berkeley's Sproul Plaza is a tough place to be noticed. On any given day, thousands of students give nary a thought to blood-and-thunder preachers and musicians who light their instruments on fire. But a lunchtime vigil on Oct. 18, by a predominantly Jewish group of students and local residents managed to get most everyone's attention.

From noon to about 1 p.m., when the plaza is at its busiest, a group of at least 150 people sat down directly in front of the steps Mario Savio made famous and now bear his name. The demonstration, organized by a number of Jewish student groups, came in the wake of the alleged Oct. 9 beating of Aaron Schwartz by a trio of thugs just off campus. The 23-year-old says he was grabbed and punched after approaching a group of men he claims were mocking him and others celebrating Simchat Torah, taunting them with Nazi salutes and chanting, "Heil Hitler."

"I'm here to protest racism in any form," said Ezra Mirvish, a Berkeley freshman. "I think it's important to show people, to outwardly manifest our feelings. We won't accept racism or bigotry under any guise."

Mirvish and several other Jewish students said the alleged beating isn't the first instance of anti-Semitism they've heard of on or near campus. The freshman said he's heard "vitriolic language" and "expletives" hurled at Jews during past demonstrations on campus.

Harry Rubin, a 75-year-old Berkeley resident and an Orthodox Jew, recalled many a verbal assault launched against Israel from the Savio Steps, and sitting on the brick-and-concrete plaza was "my way of reacting against that also."

While the majority of the demonstrators were Jewish, quite a few were not.

"As a black person, I've experienced plenty of racism. I oppose all scapegoating. And I oppose anti-Semitism," said Kris Dulay, a student at Berkeley's Vista Community College. "I know what comes of anti-Semitism. You get the Holocaust and the racist treatment of Jews in the United States. Since Sept. 11, racist attitudes in the U.S. are getting worse."

Added Wally Adeyemo, U.C. Berkeley's student body president, "The students are in solidarity with the Jewish students because hate against anyone is an act of hate against all of us. There are many viewpoints on campus, but we respect each others' diversity. Once that stops, Berkeley stops being the campus it should be."

As Mirvish and Rubin alluded, past Jewish demonstrations on campus have often been less-than-well-received by pro-Palestinian groups. This time, however, the Students for Justice in Palestine sat alongside the Jewish demonstrators, holding a large banner reading, "Students for Justice in Palestine Against All Forms of Racism."

"If today they come for the Jews, tomorrow they come for the communists; I feel it's all part of the racial hatred that's going around the country," said Tinku Ali, a Berkeley resident and SJP member. "Berkeley is more aware and socially evolved than much of the rest of the country. And this kind of hatred happened here."

While most of the Jewish demonstrators seemed to welcome SJP's presence at the sit-in, several said the green armbands worn by many of the pro-Palestinian students as a sign of solidarity against anti-Arab and anti-Muslim backlash were symbols of terrorism against Jews.

"The SJP behind me, they have the green armbands. They say they're not anti-Semitic and say they support us, but, in fact, the green armbands are worn by Arab terrorists when they kill Jews," said Yevgeniy Khazanov, a junior. Khazanov wore a Jewish Defense League T-shirt and carried a sign reading "Tolerance my ass! Nothing to tolerate about a Jew being attacked."

"It's the same as wearing a swastika and saying it's just a historical artifact. It's a symbol of Jew hatred.

"I don't think they understand what they're doing," continued Khazanov, who immigrated to the United States from Moscow four years ago. "I don't think they're bad people, they just don't know. And if you try to tell them, they'll say it's just propaganda. They're pretty utopian in their ideals."

Adam Weisberg, Berkeley Hillel's executive director, said he's heard the green armband is utilized by Hamas and other terrorist groups as a symbol of affiliation.

"You can't choose a symbol so laden with a negative meaning and expect people to wear it comfortably," he said. "The green armband means something so extreme in one place, it becomes problematic as a symbol for this [campus] group."

A number of the demonstrators were appalled by the Berkeley Police Department's decision not to classify the alleged attack as a hate crime. The police rationale is that Schwartz approached his attackers and allegedly pushed one of them. Schwartz -- who doesn't recall if he pushed anyone -- said that if he did shove one of the men, it was only in self-defense.

"Aaron was attacked because he's Jewish. If that's not a hate crime, what is?" said Dulay. "It'd be like me being attacked by a Klansman and that not being considered a hate crime."

Kriss Worthington, city council member for Berkeley's District 7, which contains much of the campus and student housing, said he has requested a meeting with police department officials so they can explain their position.

"From everything I've heard, this sounds like a classic hate crime," said Worthington. "Berkeley just adopted a resolution saying we're a hate-free city. If something that looks like a hate crime isn't treated that way, it could be counter to the whole spirit of a hate-free city."