Student arrested after assault on Jewish activist at University of Michigan

Jewish conservative activist Liz Benichou was knocked to the ground and threatened with death during a political event at the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus on Sunday, according to videos shared on social media and accounts published by US media outlets. University police arrested a student following the confrontation.

The dispute unfolded near a booth where conservative activists displayed signs questioning Islam's compatibility with Western values and asking whether Islam is evil. The student challenged participants over what she described as anti-Muslim views and questioned whether they had permission to stage the event. Benichou, who is associated with President Donald Trump's MAGA movement, attended through the conservative youth organization Liberty Under Fire USA.

Footage published by Mediaite showed Benichou joining the argument and commenting on the student's clothes. She asked what would happen if the student dressed that way in Iran. The student then dropped her phone, lunged at Benichou and pushed her with both hands, sending her to the ground. She also tried to kick Benichou while another person attempted to pull her away.

A university police officer intervened and restrained the student. Videos showed her resisting arrest and continuing to shout after being handcuffed. As officers escorted her toward a patrol car, she told Benichou, "I should have killed you when I had the chance." When a bystander asked if she was joking, she said she was not.

In a statement provided to the Daily Mail, the University of Michigan Police Department said officers had been called shortly before 5 p.m. to an unauthorized campus event. Police said they witnessed a university student assault a woman unaffiliated with the institution as the group prepared to leave. The student was processed and released while a decision on a warrant and possible charges remained pending.

Police said no injuries had been reported to them. However, Taylor Sharp, Benichou's manager and the CEO of Liberty Under Fire USA, told Mediaite that the fall injured her lower back. Sharp said the student continued trying to reach Benichou after being pulled away and that Benichou planned to pursue criminal charges.

Benichou later posted that she was somewhere safe and receiving treatment. She thanked the officers who protected her and wrote, "Political violence has no place in the United States." She also said intimidation would not silence her. In another post, she accused the radical Left of violence.

The confrontation drew outrage from conservative activists amid continuing debate about antisemitism at US universities. It occurred two days before the midterm elections, during Michigan's heated Senate contest between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers. Conservative activist Cam Higby, who shared a video, claimed the student supported El-Sayed. That alleged affiliation has not been independently verified, and no published evidence links her to his campaign.