During a heated speech at a city council meeting, Riddhi Patel made severe threats against council members, leading to multiple felony charges
Riddhi Patel, a 28-year-old pro-Palestinian activist, was charged with 16 felony counts following her arrest at a Bakersfield city council meeting where she threatened to murder the council members. Patel’s inflammatory remarks came during a tense discussion about a ceasefire resolution related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, proposed by the United Liberation Front.
At the beginning of her speech, Patel expressed her distrust in the council’s willingness to pass the resolution, criticizing the members harshly. “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 stated, setting the tone for her subsequent comments.
The situation escalated when Patel invoked the symbolism of violent revolution. “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,” Patel declared.
As she concluded her speech, Patel’s words grew even more threatening. “You guys want to criminalize us with metal detectors, we’ll see you at your house, and we’ll murder you,” she said before leaving the podium. These remarks prompted immediate action from the attending police officers, alerted by both the city attorney, Ginny Gennaro, and Mayor Karen Goh, who acknowledged the statements as threats.
Following the incident, Bakersfield Police Sgt. Eric Celedon reported that Patel faces charges including eight counts of threatening to murder the seven city council members and the mayor and eight counts of threatening to terrorize. She is currently held in jail with bail set at $2 million.
The United Liberation Front, the group that had advocated for the ceasefire resolution, distanced itself from Patel’s actions. In a public statement, they condemned any threats against public officials, asserting that such behaviour contradicts their values and does not represent the community members who engage respectfully with elected representatives.
This arrest comes after weeks of protests by pro-Palestinian groups at the city council, marking a significant escalation in tensions. The community and the council are now left to grapple with the implications of these threats on civic engagement and public safety
