Pro-Palestinian Activist Hit with 16 Felonies After Going Too Far During City Council Meeting Speech

A pro-Palestinian protester was arrested Wednesday and charged with 16 felony counts after threatening to murder members of the Bakersfield, California city council.

Riddhi Patel, 28, began her remarks by calling on the city to pass a ceasefire resolution regarding the Israel-Hamas war drafted by the United Liberation Front.

“I don’t have faith that you’ll do this. You guys are all horrible human beings, and Jesus probably would have killed you himself,” she said.

“You guys don’t care about anything happening in Palestine or any other country where oppression occurs, because you don’t care about the oppression occurring here,” Patel continued.

She then noted that some people celebrate the Hindu festival Chaitra Navratri, which starts this week.

“I remind you that these holidays that we practice, that other people in the global south practice, believe in violent revolution against their oppressors, and I hope one day somebody brings a guillotine and kills all of you motherf******.”

Patel later lashed out at the city council for putting increased security measures in place, including metal detectors and a greater police presence.

“You guys want to criminalize us with metal detectors, we’ll see you at your house, we’ll murder you,” she said, and then left the podium.

Bakersfield City Attorney Ginny Gennaro interjected, saying to police officers standing nearby “That was a threat.”

City Mayor Karen Goh agreed.