Harvard Law Publishes Fond Reminiscence From Student Facing Criminal Charges for Assaulting Jewish Classmate
15th April 2025
Harvard Law School published a blog post from one of the students facing criminal charges for assaulting an Israeli classmate. The post, from former Harvard Law Review editor Ibrahim Bharmal, features Bharmal’s praise for something called the “Crimmigration Clinic,” a law school course in which students work on federal immigration cases. He does not mention that he is facing criminal charges connected to the assault, which was captured on video.
In the post, titled, “Crimmigration lawyering: Advocating for immigrants caught in two unjust systems,” Bharmal touts the “close-knit immigrant and Muslim community” he grew up in in Southern California, indicating that it taught him “that our legal systems and institutions do not distribute justice evenly.” He also wrote of his “future” as an attorney, saying, “I know who I want to advocate for. I know the kind of law I want to practice. And I know, without a doubt, that this clarity will be the foundation of a long, committed career in service to immigrants and the fight for justice.”
Bharmal’s criminal case could also impact that future. Along with Harvard divinity school graduate student Elom-Tettey Tamaklo, Bharmal was charged last May with misdemeanor assault in connection with his behavior at a “die-in” protest that took place shortly after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack. Bharmal and Tettey-Tamaklo were captured on camera accosting an Israeli business school student, surrounding him and making it difficult for him to walk freely as keffiyeh-clad onlookers shouted, “SHAME!”