On November 3, 2023, during Israel's war against Hamas, Ercelik reportedly physically and verbally assaulted a Jewish student on the UMass Amherst campus during a student demonstration organized by UMass Hillel calling for the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas terrorists.
Hillel International is a Jewish campus organization serving college students at 850 universities worldwide.
Ercelik reportedly approached a Jewish student holding an Israeli flag “in an aggressive manner,” shouting: “You think you’re so tough waving a flag, Zionist scumbag, let’s see how tough you are when I’m out here! I’ll get you; you’ll see what happends [sic]!”
Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture. Zionism is a core part of the identity of most Jews.
Ercelik then punched the Jewish student in the face, shoved him and kicked him in the stomach. He also reportedly assaulted several witnesses to the attack who tried to intervene and stop the scuffle.
Next, Ercelik reportedly ripped the Israeli flag from the Jewish student’s hands, spit on it and stabbed it with a chef’s knife. He then ripped up the remnants of the flag before throwing them in a trash can.
Ercelik was arrested later that day and charged with “two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; larceny, vandalism; assault and battery; assault and battery with intent to intimidate; and disorderly conduct.”
Later, Ercelik was reportedly released on $250 bail on the condition that he surrender his passports, make no contact with named victims, stay 50 yards away from the victims and stay off of the UMass campus. As of November 2023, Ercelik’s next court date was scheduled for January 16, 2024.
Ercelik was reportedly represented by anti-Israel professor and attorney Rachel Weber. Weber also represented 57 anti-Israel activists arrested at an anti-Israel rally at UMass Amherst in October 2023.
