A video of a left-wing activist went viral over the weekend after she was seen sobbing in a courtroom during her arraignment on numerous felony charges. The activist, 28-year-old Riddhi Patel, was arrested during a Bakersfield City Council meeting for openly making death threats against Mayor Karen Goh (R) and other council members.
During the meeting, Patel expressed her anger towards the council for not supporting a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. In a heated public comment, she verbally attacked the politicians, stating, “You all are horrible human beings, and Jesus probably would have killed you himself. While you guys parade Gandhi around, 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**kers.”
After making threats to visit the council members’ homes and harm them, Patel was swiftly removed from the meeting by officers and arrested. She now faces 18 felony charges, including threatening public officials with intent to terrorize.
Appearing in court in a jail uniform, Patel was visibly emotional as she was arraigned, with the judge setting her bail at $1 million. She identifies as nonbinary, according to KPAK-TV.
While Mayor Goh has not commented on the incident, Councilman Andrae Gonzales emphasized the need for increased security in response to Patel’s threats. He stated, “Making real threats to elected officials and decision makers is not the way to influence others. Nobody on the city council will be intimidated to action.”
Patel is scheduled to appear in court again on April 16.