A University of Michigan student was arrested Sunday after video showed her shoving conservative Jewish influencer Lizzy Benichou to the ground and kicking her during a heated confrontation on the school’s Ann Arbor campus.
The incident unfolded at a conservative free speech event where activists had set up a table with a sign asking whether Islam is compatible with the West.
According to video of the encounter, the student first confronted two men seated at the table, calling the sign stupid and demanding to see their permit. At one point, she clapped her hands directly in one man’s face, causing him to jerk his head back.
Benichou, an influencer associated with President Trump’s MAGA movement, then joined the exchange and asked the student whether the way she was dressed would be acceptable in Iran.
The question set the student off. She dropped her phone, pushed Benichou to the ground with both hands and began kicking her while shouting profanities.
A young man pulled the student away, but she broke free, removed her backpack and appeared to try to go after Benichou again before a police officer and another man stepped in to stop her.
Even after she was handcuffed, the student continued her expletive-laced tirade, shouting at Benichou that she should have killed her when she had the chance. She also accused the people filming of being anti-Muslim and claimed she never put a hand on the man at the table.
🚨🚨 JUST NOW: Deranged Abdul Supporter tackled a Jewish girl (@basedinmalibu) at free speech event.
She was SWIFTLY arrested, resisted and then said “I SHOULD HAVE KILLED HER!!” As she was loaded into the police vehicle. pic.twitter.com/Sfs7ltt3Vs
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) November 1, 2026
University of Michigan police said officers responded to the event shortly before 5 p.m. and noted the gathering had not received a university permit.
“As the group was packing up to leave, officers witnessed a University of Michigan student assault a woman not affiliated with the university,” the department said.
Police said the student was arrested, processed and released. The victim was medically treated and released.
The student has not been publicly identified.
Benichou later said she was safe and receiving medical care. A representative said she injured her back in the attack. Benichou vowed that the assault would not stop her from speaking out about her political views.
Benichou also described the student as a supporter of Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race. The attack came just two days before Tuesday’s election, in which El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers.
Available reports have not established that Benichou’s Jewish identity motivated the attack.
The incident is the latest flashpoint at the University of Michigan, which has faced scrutiny in recent years over campus tensions and the safety of students and visitors expressing conservative or pro-Israel views.
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