Jewish Columbia University student told to 'kill yourself' during anti-Israel protest: report
A Jewish Columbia University student was told to "kill yourself" and repeatedly kicked in the stomach during an anti-Israel protest on the New York City campus.
Elisha "Lishi" Baker, 21, told the New York Post that the antisemitic comments came after his shirt was scorched by fire.
He said that he felt that the protesters did not "see my humanity."
"I knew the anti-American sentiment was rampant [among protesters]," Baker told the outlet Wednesday. "I didn’t know how deadly rampant it was until my shirt was on fire. Personally, I felt they didn’t see my humanity."
Baker shared with the New York Post that curiosity brought him and his friend, David Lederer, to the protest at the Ivy League university's campus.
The college student said that nothing prepared him for what he witnessed at the protest.
"Kill yourself, kill yourself," Baker remembered them chanting at him.
He said that the situation further-spiraled after he asked a protester his thoughts about the American flag.
The unidentified demonstrator then aggressively kicked Baker, who was standing next to his friend, in the stomach before running away.
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Tarek Bazrouk, 19, was arrested on assault charges for "causing redness and pain" to Baker’s abdomen, the NYPD said.
On Monday, Lederer said that he attended an anti-Israel rally in New York City with an American flag alongside four others.
Lederer, alongside his four friends, did not wear anything to indicate they were Jewish – but they held American flags.
"Burn it again, burn it again," Lederer recalled protesters chanting, the New York Post reported.
Demonstrators also called them "genocide supporters" and told them they were "not welcome."
At one point, Lederer's American flag was ripped from his hands and promptly burned by a protester.
Lederer and Baker told the outlet that they are documenting the protests in New York City to show "how anti-American these protests are."
"It shouldn’t just be a Jewish issue," Lederer added.
"It’s so sad the world has come to this," Baker said.
The Jewish college student's experience came after the NYPD arrested 108 people for trespassing, after the demonstrating students had set up an encampment on a campus lawn.
NYPD officers noted that while many of the protesters were peaceful and didn't resist arrest.
However, around 500 students left their classrooms and told officers they were the "KKK," "baby killers" and to "go kill ourselves," a police official said.
Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.