'I'm a professor': Caroline Fohlin, an Emory Instructor, gets arrested by campus police during anti-Israel protest

Most colleges are taking a tough stand against the anti-Israel protests that are sowing disorder on their campuses. All over the United States, universities are calling the cops to arrest protesters who violate school policies or refuse to obey police orders to disband.

At Emory University, police arrested 28 people in one day, including Caroline Fohlin, an economics professor who was charged with battery of a police officer. The incident was videotaped and makes for fascinating viewing.

Professor Fohlin saw an individual being arrested during an on-campus protest, and she came to his defense. As she said in the video, she lightly touched a police officer to get his attention while he was subduing a protester.

The police responded aggressively, throwing Fohlin to the ground and restraining her with plastic cuffs. She identified herself as an Emory professor, but the cops didn't care.

Fohlin remained calm throughout the incident, even instructing a video operator to be sure and document her restraints. Indeed, as she was being escorted away, her narrative sounded remarkably like she was testifying in a deposition. My guess is that she’ll file a lawsuit against the police.

My sympathies lie entirely with Professor Fohlin. I think the police overreacted when she mildly intervened on behalf of a protester, who may have been an Emory student. She doesn't deserve to be charged with battery.

Nevertheless, sensible adults know not to interfere with a police officer making an arrest. That’s never a good idea.

Bystanders watching anti-Israel protests need to understand that these events aren’t fun and games. Some protesters are scuffling with police, others are shouting antisemitic slurs, and some are calling for the destruction of Israel—genocide. The universities aren’t going to put up with hate speech on their campuses.

According to her attorney, Professor Fohlin wasn't even a protester on the day she was arrested. She merely intervened to help someone she believed to be a student. Nevertheless, she was charged with battery of a police officer.

So, if you are a college student or a professor, you should think twice about inserting yourself into a pro-Palestine demonstration. The universities have stopped coddling people who disrupt their campuses. Even professors whose only motivation is to help their students can get arrested by the police.

You may think your university status entitles you to special consideration when the cops arrive, but Professor Fohlin's experience tells you that's not so.

Image credit: TYT.com