The 2025 Miss Israel and an IDF soldier accompanying her met a hostile reception from Stanford University students as they tabled for an organized free speech event on campus Wednesday.
A student on a bicycle stole a sign from their table as the beauty queen, Melanie Shiraz, debated with students in White Plaza. The IDF soldier with her then tackled the student, who has been identified as Margil Sanchez Carmona, according to The Stanford Daily.
Sanchez Carmona alleged the soldier “launched at [him] from the side,” knocking him off his bike. He said the soldier then placed him in a chokehold for “a couple of seconds.”
Campus police then showed up, but it’s unclear if they made any arrests. They told The Daily that an investigation is ongoing and the department “intends to submit the results of this investigation to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for review.”
Shiraz told The Daily that the soldier, who has not been identified, thought the student may have taken one of the pair’s virtual reality headsets. They had VR headsets on hand that played video of the tragic Nova music festival massacre in Israel on Oct. 7.
She hoped to create a dialogue with students. Shiraz wanted to “have productive dialogue with people and… hopefully reach some kind of, if not understanding, at least a little bit of empathy between us.”
Shiraz is known for her pro-Israel views and is outspoken about the Oct. 7 massacre.
But Sanchez Carmona says the Miss Israel and the IDF soldier used personal insults against the gathered students. He doesn’t regret taking the poster, he said.
“I don’t regret taking the poster. If I were presented with the opportunity to do it again, I still would,” Sanchez Carmona said. “If the precedent that we’re setting for discourse is violent or loud and insulting, and inherently lacking empathy for the other side, then I do not view that as civil discourse.”
He’s a member of the Stanford Democrats, according to The Daily. Sanchez Carmona appears to be politically aware, posting a series of photos two days after the 2025 elections referencing socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani with the caption: “day 0 in zohran’s america.”
Stanford Democrats condemned both Sanchez Carmona’s conduct and the “excessive force” allegedly used by the IDF soldier.
Shiraz’s account of the debate is different from Sanchez Carmona. She said that the students were the ones being “hateful,” and “violent” while “saying nasty things” to them.
“Little by little more of their friends started showing up, to the point where we were encapsulated by this group,” Shiraz said.
Another student, Hana Spahia, accused those tabling as being “propagandists.”
“I think that it is extremely irresponsible for student groups to bring in propagandists for these war crimes and violations of human rights,” Spahia said. “That is made extraordinarily clear by the fact that these former or current IDF soldiers are willing to engage in violence against students for something so silly as a cardboard sign.”
Stanford police said they are committed to ensuring the plaza remains a free speech space.
“White Plaza is a designated free speech zone, and Stanford is committed to ensuring that it is a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views. We strongly encourage peaceful expression and civil discourse, including on difficult topics,” they said.
The California Post reached out to Shiraz and Stanford for comment.
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