IU Alumni for Palestine posted an image of Raichik and Banks with their mouths covered and urged their followers to stop ‘bigots on campus.’
Last week, anti-Israel and Antifa student organizations joined together in an attempt to disrupt an Indiana University College Republicans event featuring Indiana Republican congressman Jim Banks and Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichick.
Student protesters attempted to shout down the speakers and intimidate the eventgoers. University police officers were eventually forced to intervene, escorting a number of the protesters out of the event after they refused to leave and detaining several others.
The April 1 event, intended to be a meet and greet with Banks and Raichick, was quickly targeted by an Indiana Antifa cell, Red Orchestra_AFA, which is closely connected to the Torch Antifa Network and is one of a number of cells that utilizes the RiseUp communications system, according to reporting from the Post Millennial. The day before the event, Orchestra_AFA posted, “Indiana and fishers Indiana. Libs of TT homophobic bigot chaya raichik and far right bigot jim banks will be speaking at 2 locations.” The cell continued, telling its followers, “You know what to do.”
Groups holding anti-Israel and antisemitic views then quickly joined in condemning the event and asking students to disrupt and derail the speakers. On the day of the meet and greet, IU Alumni for Palestine posted an image of the speakers with their mouths covered and requested that their followers join them to stop “bigots on campus.” This group has campaigned in the past to cancel speakers who support Israel, such as Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of infamous Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, who turned on the group to become an undercover Israeli intelligence agent.
Yousef was scheduled to speak last month at an event sponsored by IU Hillel in condemnation of Hamas, but the event was canceled due to “security concerns.” IU Alumni for Palestine have also posted content referring to Zionism as an “ideology of racism” and existing on a continuum of “white supremacy.”
Other groups that called on students to participate in the “emergency rally” to stop the event include Young Democratic Socialists of America at IU, Indiana Art for Palestine, and Indiana Resiste, a “Latine-Indigenous led socialist grassroots” organization that advocates “palestinian feminism” and “Palestinian sovereignty & liberation.”
In response to the posts condemning the event, Representative Banks posted on X, “Antifa is not happy that I will be joining @libsoftiktok founder @ChayaRaichik10 today at Indiana University. They called us ‘far right bigots’ and have called for violence against us.” He concluded, “My message to Antifa is simple: we will not be intimidated and the event will go on.” Raichick posted a similar statement, “Antifa is trying to shut down an event that I’m having today with Congressman Jim Banks. We refuse to be intimidated and Jim Banks says the event will go on! Go follow @Jim_Banks to thank him for standing up for me and free speech!!”
Before the event began, protesters gathered outside, holding signs reading, “Libs of Tik Tok has blood on her hands” and insulting Raichick’s traditional Jewish name. Chaya, Raichick’s first name, means life and living in Hebrew. A sign held by an unidentified female student read, “Chaya is a stupid name. It means spinach tree. I’m calling you spinach tree from now on.”
Students were also seen holding Palestinian flags, pride flags, and a cardboard construction resembling a Viking battle ax.
According to a member of the IU College Republicans who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of on-campus repercussions, all the protesters were allowed to enter the event and participate because the club believes in “free speech” and “letting people share different viewpoints.” He told National Review that he commends those who opposed the speakers but were “civil” and “asked questions.”
However, it quickly became clear that many of the protesters were not interested in engaging in good-faith discussion, but simply wanted to disrupt and hinder the speakers. Some protesters began yelling and chanting so that the speakers could not be heard.
Several College Republican members told National Review that protesters “pushed” and harassed other attendees. Videos taken at the event show protesters circling around the room chanting “how many kids has she killed today?” and telling Raichick that “blood is on [her] hands.” The speakers were also called “traitors to the working class,” accused of supporting “genocide,” and told they are “killing children.” After being asked to remain quiet to allow the other event attendees to hear the speakers, several protesters were removed by police. The event was then able to continue without further interruption.
In response to the protests, Banks told National Review that “radical left-wing activists have the same First Amendment rights as other Americans, even though they despise our country and the rights we enjoy. We won’t back down,” and the College Republicans chapter posted on X that “despite numerous attempts to SHUT DOWN the event, College Republicans SUCCESSFULLY hosted Jim Banks and Chaya Raichik.”
“An event like this tends to draw out the most radical” individuals on campus, one member of the IU College Republicans said in explaining the level of outrage that greeted Raichik and Banks.
Last week’s protest is not an isolated incident. Since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, campus organizations at Indiana University have shown a pattern of anti-Zionism and antisemitism. The Indiana University Muslim Students Association has organized protests and posted images featuring the slogan, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which calls for the eradication of the Jewish state. This rallying cry has long been used by anti-Israel voices, including supporters of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the PFLP, which seek Israel’s destruction through violent means.”
The Palestine Solidarity Committee at IU has referred to Israel as an “apartheid regime,” accused the state of “genocide,” and is a proponent of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement. Queers for Palestine at Indiana University is “dedicated to supporting Palestine in their war against genocidal Zionists.” They hope for the Palestinians to “take back what’s theirs.” A faculty organization at the university, IU Academics for Justice in Palestine, has accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” and compared the country’s actions to “the rise of German fascism in the 1930s.” The group lists one of its goals as “organizing opposition to H.B. 1002,” a bill aimed at combating antisemitism in Indiana.