A graduate instructor at the University of Illinois was arrested last week after confronting a group of conservative students and damaging one of their cellphones.
Tariq Khan, a Ph.D candidate and instructor, was arrested at a rally opposing President Donald Trump last Thursday. Video from the event, given to The College Fix, shows Khan speaking at the rally, where he was interrupted by student Joel Valdez of the group Turning Point USA, who yelled: "No one's scared of you, 50-year-old man! Don't you have kids to look after?"
Khan can then be seen rushing over to the students Valdez was with, shouting and asking if Valdez was threatening his children, which the student denied. Khan also yelled at another student filming him on his phone before taking Valdez' phone from him and walking away before throwing it on the ground. He was later arrested "for criminal damage to property," and issued a summons to appear in court.
"Khan immediately charged us, pushing us, throwing punches," Valdez told the university's student newspaper, The Daily Illini. "We then attempted to defuse the situation and remained calm, but Tariq was uncontrollable and unhinged. I'm certain that Khan knew there was no threat; he just wanted to look for a fight. I wasn't interested."
Khan denied Valdez' description of the events in an email to the paper.
"Their narrative that I 'assaulted' them is deeply problematic," he said. "They have been stalking, surveilling, and harassing students and staff all semester."
"I did not confront them out of the blue. In fact, they showed up to the rally to intimidate and surveil leftist student organizers. One of their members … made a veiled threat against my children," Khan continued. "It's one thing to criticize my politics, it's entirely another thing to threaten my children."
"I did not 'assault' anyone," he said. "I will not tolerate threats against my children, certainly not from a member of the 'alt-right' movement.
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