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Crime & Safety

University of Michigan student arrested after shoving conservative influencer at campus event

Police say she was released pending a warrant decision, and an activist group identifies her as a supporter of Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

7 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from liberal outlets
Liberal0 outletslittle coverageCenter1 outletThe attack on video and what police confirmedConservative6 outletsAn alleged El-Sayed supporter attacks a conservative
Published 3 min read
Overview

A University of Michigan student shoved conservative influencer Liz Benichou to the ground at a campus event in Ann Arbor on Sunday, video shows. The woman had argued with men at a table under a sign asking whether Islam is compatible with the West, demanded a permit and clapped in one man's face. Benichou then asked what would happen to the woman in Iran dressed as she was, and the woman attacked her.

Bystanders pulled her away and an officer arrested her. From the police car she shouted that she should have killed Benichou. University police told the Daily Mail that an officer saw a student assault a woman with no university affiliation.

The New York Post and the Daily Wire report police saying the event was unpermitted and the student was released pending warrant authorization. Benichou said she was assaulted for exercising her rights and expects to be OK. Her manager, per the Daily Wire, said she hurt her lower back and intended to press charges.

Liberty Under Fire USA, per Newsweek, and journalist Cam Higby, per the Daily Wire, identified the attacker as a supporter of Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate in Michigan. Newsweek says it has not yet been able to verify that, and the Daily Wire says police have not publicly identified her.

Three sides of the story

Liberal0 outlets

Little coverage from this side's outlets

Outlets on this side gave the story little coverage.

Center1 outlet

The attack on video and what police confirmed

Newsweek's headline says video shows a woman physically attacked at a University of Michigan event, and it introduces Benichou as a "Pro-Trump conservative influencer." The report walks through the footage. A young woman asks "Where's your permit?" at a foldout table with signs about Islam, onlookers remark on her clothing, Benichou asks what would happen if she dressed that way in Iran, and the woman launches herself at Benichou, who is knocked down.

An officer arrests her on the ground. Newsweek quotes the woman's shouted words from the police vehicle and Benichou's statement that she was "physically assaulted simply for showing up and exercising my First Amendment rights." Campus police tell the Daily Mail that an officer saw a University of Michigan student assault a woman who is not affiliated with the school.

Newsweek relays Liberty Under Fire USA's identification of the woman as an Abdul El-Sayed supporter and says it has not yet been able to verify that. It also reports contacting the university, campus police and Benichou for comment.

Conservative6 outlets

An alleged El-Sayed supporter attacks a conservative

Breitbart News calls the student "unhinged," follows her shouted words through the arrest and repeats Benichou's statement, including that her attacker had been "identified as a supporter of Abdul El-Sayed." The New York Post, in a story headlined with "Crazed," follows the video beat by beat, notes the attack came days before Michigan voters choose between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, and carries the police statement given to the Daily Mail. The Daily Wire's news report says journalist Cam Higby shared the video and identified the attacker as an El-Sayed supporter.

Its headline describes Benichou as a "Jewish Woman," and the report adds her manager's account of a back injury and says police have not publicly identified the attacker. It also gives the police statement about her release pending warrant authorization. A separate Daily Wire column links the attack to El-Sayed, writing that it shows "the kind of monster the Left creates."

All sources: 8 articles from 7 outlets

Center (1)

Conservative (7)

First Amendment

The part of the US Constitution that bars the government from limiting speech, the press, religion, peaceful assembly and petitions. It restrains the government, not private companies or employers.

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Senate

The upper chamber of Congress: 100 senators, two per state, elected for six years. It confirms judges and ministers and approves treaties.

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