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5 months ago
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A Harvard law student charged with assaulting an Israeli classmate during a confrontation at a protest has landed a top job with the public defender's office in Washington DC.
Ibrahim Bharmal, an editor with the prestigious Harvard Law Review, was seen in a viral video allegedly accosting an Israeli student at a pro-Palestine 'die-in' protest in Harvard last October, just days after the attack by Hamas.
The confrontation happened after an Israeli student was seen walking over protesters and recording their faces as they lay on the ground to protest Israel's actions in Gaza, according to The Harvard Crimson.
Despite going viral over the brawl, Bharmal has been hired as a summer law clerk for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, as first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
The office shared a post about Bharmal on Tuesday, thanking him for his
Ibrahim Bharmal, an editor with the prestigious Harvard Law Review, was seen in a viral video allegedly accosting an Israeli student at a pro-Palestine 'die-in' protest in Harvard last October
In the viral footage, multiple protesters including Bharmal were seen screaming: 'Shame! Shame! Shame!' at the student, who was forced to duck and swivel as he attempted to free himself from the swarm of bodies who were preventing him from moving.
The mob encircled him and blocking his way with keffiyehs as he continued trying to record the scene on his phone.
Protesters claimed the Israeli student was trying to 'intimidate or dox them.'
Bharmal, who is scheduled to graduate next year, was a designated 'safety marshal' at the protest.
He and fellow Harvard Divinity School student Elom Tettey-Tamaklo were each charged with two misdemeanors for assault and battery. Moreover, an FBI probe was launched into the confrontation.
In the viral footage, multiple protesters including Bharmal were seen screaming: 'Shame! Shame! Shame!' at the student and blocking his path
Bharmal, seen in a yellow vest on the far right, was a designated 'safety marshal' at the protest
Tettey-Tamaklo was let go from his position as a Harvard College proctor over his actions at the protest. Bharmal kept his position at the Harvard Law Review.
The incident was one of many that sparked outrage against Harvard's handling of alleged anti-Semitism amid the war in Gaza.
Various Harvard alumni including billionaire Bill Ackman and senator Mitt Romney co-wrote a letter accusing Harvard of allowing an environment where Jewish students felt unsafe.
In April, New York rep. Elise Stefanik sent a leader to Harvard leadership accusing them of 'delaying justice' against the students involved in the melee and stalling the FBI probe.
Harvard pro-Palestinian groups held a 'die-in' just over a week after the deadly terrorist attack by Hamas that killed more than 1,300 people in Israel
Bharmel is also the co-president of the Harvard South Asian Law Students, a group that triggered massive backlash when they signed a letter blaming Israel for the attack by Hamas
Bharmel is also the co-president of the Harvard South Asian Law Students, a group that triggered massive backlash when they signed a letter blaming Israel for the October 7 attack by Hamas.
He is expected back in court in September and faces up to 100 days in jail for each count.
In the post shared by the DC pblic defender's office, Bharmel said he wants to work to support 'immigrants, asylum-seekers, and other newly arriving neighbors.'
'I'd like to serve my home communities, specifically supporting immigrants, asylum-seekers, and other newly arriving neighbors. I endeavor to use legal advocacy as one tool to stem the harmful effects of our country's carceral and exclusionary immigration systems onto the vulnerable populations I come from,' Bharmal added.
'I'm still determining where I'll land in the immediate short term, but I envision myself practicing as an immigration, criminal defense, or civil rights attorney after graduating.'
English (US)