WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Lizzy Benichou said she was shoved to the ground while hosting an open debate at the University of Michigan.
  • Benichou said a woman allegedly struck conservative influencer Joe Redden in the face with a phone before lunging at her.
  • University police said a student was taken into custody, processed and released, with the case headed to county prosecutors for review.
  • Benichou said the encounter would not dissuade her from continuing her activism and public political discussions.

Conservative Jewish activist and influencer Lizzy Benichou says she will not be intimidated into silence after being shoved to the ground during an open debate at the University of Michigan. The confrontation unfolded Sunday on the university’s Ann Arbor campus.

Benichou appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Monday, Nov. 2, to describe the encounter and discuss antisemitism on college campuses. Despite feeling sore after what she called a “hard fall,” she made clear that the violence would not stop her activism.

“It will definitely not dissuade me,” Benichou told “Fox & Friends” on Monday.

Benichou said she had been hosting an open debate when a woman approached the group and began shouting. The woman then allegedly struck conservative influencer Joe Redden in the face with her phone before turning her attention toward Benichou.

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“She slapped Joe [Redden] in the face with her phone. Then she came up towards me, and I told her, 'You would not be able to do this in Iran,'” Benichou said, recounting the incident.

Benichou explained that her remark concerned freedom of speech and the Iranian government’s treatment of protesters. The exchange continued as Benichou and fellow conservative influencer Cam Higby challenged the woman over the freedoms available to women in Iran.

“I think [Higby] said, 'She wouldn't be allowed to be dressed like this,'” she continued.

Benichou also directly questioned what could happen if the woman wore the same clothing in Iran. She said Jordanian students were standing nearby during the escalating confrontation.

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“I had also said, 'If you were in Iran dressed like this, what would happen to you?' And there were some Jordanian students next to me, and I asked them, 'Am I right?' And then she just lunged.”

Benichou said the lunge sent her into a hard fall and left her sore afterward. Still, her response on Monday centered on a refusal to let the physical encounter drive her away from public debate.

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The University of Michigan Police Department confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital that a student had been taken into custody. Police said the student was processed and released after the incident.

The department added that the case “will be forwarded to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office for review.” The statement did not provide additional information about what action prosecutors might take.

The campus encounter occurred as Michigan’s closely watched Senate contest brings the state’s political and cultural divisions into sharper focus before the midterm elections. Benichou said the race was part of the reason she visited the Ann Arbor campus.

She specifically cited concerns about Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Benichou said she wanted to speak with students about El-Sayed’s political affiliations and the funding behind his campaign.

The discussion instead became a physical confrontation after the woman approached the conservative group. What began as an open campus debate ended with one person allegedly struck by a phone, Benichou shoved to the ground, and a student taken into police custody.

Benichou’s appearance on “Fox & Friends” gave her an opportunity to recount the sequence of events in her own words. She also used the interview to address what she described as the rise of antisemitism across college campuses.

Her message after the encounter remained straightforward. The shouting, alleged phone strike, and fall would not dissuade her from continuing to participate in political discussions and challenge others in public settings.

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