( Christian Post )
An anti-Israel activist in California sobbed in court Friday after she was slapped with 18 felony counts for allegedly threatening to murder members of the Bakersfield City Council.
Riddhi Patel, 28, pleaded not guilty to the charges she faces after making incendiary comments to officials during the public comment portion of a city council meeting last Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Patel, who served as economic development coordinator for the nonprofit Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment in Bakersfield, railed against the city council and Republican Mayor Karen Goh for not backing a Gaza ceasefire resolution against Israel, as well as for installing metal detectors in city hall.
Regarding the Gaza ceasefire resolution, Patel slammed the city leaders as "horrible human beings" who don't care about oppression in Palestine or anywhere else, and said "Jesus probably would have killed you himself."
Noting the ongoing Indian holiday of Chaitra Navratri, Patel went on warn city leaders about the threat of violent revolution she claimed is common in the global south.
"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 the guillotine and kills all of you motherf---ers," she said.
Patel later returned to the podium to complain about heightened security measures that have been implemented at city hall amid tense anti-Israel protests in Bakersfield, which she alleged was an attempt by city leaders to "criminalize" protesters.
"So regardless of whether you elect people into office, they'll backstab you, they'll let you die," she said. "And for that reason, you guys wanna criminalize us with metal detectors? We’ll see you at your house. We’ll murder you."
As she was returning to her seat, Goh called for the next speaker to come forward before instructing the officers in the chamber to remove Patel from the premises.
"Ms. Patel, that was a threat, what you said at the end," Goh said. "So the officers are going to escort you out and take care of that."
A teary-eyed Patel was arraigned in court on Friday and is being held on $1 million bail. Of her 18 felony counts, 10 are for threatening with the intent to terrorize public officials and eight are for threatening specific public officials. Two of the city council members were not considered victims because "they did not feel threatened," according to the Kern County District Attorney.
Goh declined to comment on the situation to local media, but Vice Mayor Andrae Gonzales told NBC affiliate KGET that Patel's comments were "deeply concerning" and "completely inappropriate."
"The city can’t function during a public council meeting if we’re being continuously disrupted," Gonzales said.
The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment announced Monday that they terminated Patel and that they "remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering a culture of non-violence, inclusivity, and respect."