UC Berkeley opens civil rights investigation into courtyard confrontation between law professor and student

The University of California, Berkeley, has opened a Title IX civil rights investigation into whether a law professor harassed a Muslim student at a dinner party last month in the professor’s backyard.

The investigation by the university’s Office of Harassment and Discrimination Prevention stems from an April 9 incident at the home of Professor Catherine Fisk and her husband, dean of the university’s law school.

Malak Afaneh, a graduate law student, said she faced harassment and discrimination when she tried to give an unexpected pro-Palestinian speech at an invitation-only dinner.

“It was reported that on April 9, 2024, at a dinner for UC Berkeley Law School students held at the defendant’s off-campus residence, the defendant physically grabbed you, attempted to forcibly took your cell phone and microphone and asked you “You left a university event when you began speaking in favor of Palestine and Ramadan,” the office wrote in a document provided to Afaneh confirming the investigation .

Video shot by attendees and shared with NBC News showed Fisk wrapping his arm around Afaneh in an attempt to snatch a microphone from the student’s hands. The two appeared to briefly jostle for the microphone before Fisk released his grip.

At the end of another video, Fisk said: “We agree with you on what is happening in Palestine. »

Afaneh, who is one of the main organizers of the university’s anti-war encampment, said it was “obvious Islamophobia” and accused Fisk of silencing her because of her pro-Palestinian beliefs.

Fisk did not return a request for comment.

A university spokesperson declined to comment, saying it was a personnel matter.

Fisk’s husband, Erwin Chemerinsky, who is Jewish, called the disruption “ugly and divisive.”

“I am extremely sad that we have students who are so rude that they come to my house, into my backyard, and use this social occasion for their political agenda,” he said in a statement released in April.

The clash has become a flashpoint for free speech and accusations of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism on college campuses where students are protesting the war in Gaza.

In an emailed statement at the time, Chancellor Carol Christ said she was “dismayed and deeply disturbed by what happened” and offered support for Fisk and Chemerinsky.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com