Berkeley Police to Determine if Fight Was a Hate Crime

UC-Berkeley police are deciding whether a fight that broke out during a pro-Israel concert last week was a hate crime, the Daily Californian reports. The altercation began after three Palestinian students hung a Palestinian flag from a dorm window overlooking the concert to protest what they perceived as anti-Palestinian lyrics. After Gabe Weiner—a Berkeley alum and concert performer—approached the students, a fight broke out in the dorm.

Weiner was cited with three counts of battery, while two of the three Palestinian students who displayed the flags were each cited with one count of battery. No one was taken into custody. Now, police are looking into whether racial remarks were made during the altercation. "We're looking into the possibility of it being a hate crime, based on the statements (made to police by) Palestinian students," said an assistant chief for campus police. "Clearly, these two groups have some conflict. . . . Both sides did not handle this on the most tasteful or intellectual level."