Temulun Togochog

Introduction

Temulun Togochog, a University of Michigan student, was taken into custody by campus police on Nov. 1, 2026 after a viral video captured a student — identified in online posts and by the watchdog group StopAntisemitism as Togochog — shoving conservative Jewish activist Lizzy Benichou to the ground during a free-speech event on the Ann Arbor campus. As officers led her away, the student was recorded saying she should have “killed” Benichou when she had the chance. Police said the student was “taken into custody, processed and released,” and the department forwarded the incident to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office for review; no charges had been announced as of Nov. 2. Benichou’s manager said she plans to press charges.

Background Information

Togochog is known for advocating for the rights of ethnic Mongolians living under Chinese rule in Inner Mongolia, according to StopAntisemitism. In 2026 she was picked as the youngest speaker at the International Religious Freedom Summit, where she was praised for her commitment to “advocating for her people, who live there under intense oppression from the Chinese government.”

In posts she made public before her profiles were taken down or made private, Togochog displayed her mental health prescriptions and claimed to have been in a mental institution in the past, according to the New York Post’s review of the material; her victim said Togochog told her she “had been in a mental institution before and she would be happy to go back if it meant she got to kill me.”

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Named by third parties, not by police. University of Michigan police confirmed that one of their students was taken into custody after officers “witnessed a University of Michigan student push a woman to the ground,” but the department has not released the student’s name. The identification of that student as Temulun Togochog comes from online posts and the watchdog group StopAntisemitism, as reported by the New York Post. No charges have been filed, and the matters described here are unadjudicated.

The confrontation unfolded at a tabling event for Liberty Under Fire USA, a conservative youth organization, where activists Cam Higby and Joe Redden displayed signs reading “Is Islam compatible with Western values?” and “Is Islam evil?” In the viral video, the student first argued with the two men, clapped directly in one man’s face, called the display “f–king stupid,” and demanded to see their permit; the man told an off-camera campus officer she had smacked him, which she denied while onlookers said the exchange was on camera. Benichou, who was hosting an open debate, said she asked whether the way the student was dressed would be acceptable in Iran — “If you walked around like this in Iran, what would happen to her?” — and said the student then “just lunged.” According to Benichou, the student struck Redden in the face with her phone before turning on her.

The video shows the student shoving Benichou to the ground. A bystander pulled her away; the student broke free, removed her backpack and lunged again before a campus police officer forced her to the ground and struggled to handcuff her. As officers placed her in a patrol car, the student was recorded shouting that she had no remorse: “I’d do it again every f–king time,” followed by “I should’ve f–king killed you when I had the f–king chance” — a remark that drew audible gasps from onlookers, the Post reported.

Deputy Chief Melissa Overton of the University of Michigan Police Department told the Post that officers responded to a noise complaint on Nov. 1, 2026, at approximately 5:00 p.m., found an unpermitted event being packed up, and “witnessed a University of Michigan student push a woman to the ground. The student was taken into custody, processed and released.” Overton said “the incident has been forwarded to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office for review,” and that the victim, who is not affiliated with the university, “was later medically treated and released.” Benichou’s manager, Taylor Sharp — CEO of Liberty Under Fire USA — told Mediaite that Benichou injured her lower back when she was thrown to the ground and plans to press charges against the arrested student. Benichou also said her attacker “had been identified as a supporter of Abdul El-Sayed,” the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, on the eve of Election Day.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The video spread rapidly, surpassing 6.6 million views by Sunday night, with the death threat during the arrest drawing the sharpest reaction. Benichou wrote on X that she was “physically assaulted simply for showing up and exercising my First Amendment rights,” adding, “Political violence has NO place in the United States of America,” and “I am now in a safe location receiving care and I am going to be OK.” In a statement posted online, she said, “If the intention was to intimidate me or silence me, it will not work.” Benichou said the incident will “definitely not dissuade” her despite suffering a hard fall.

The Post reported that Togochog’s public profiles were taken down or made private after the video circulated, and that the university student’s identification drew attention to her past activism for Mongolian rights under Chinese rule. The university’s own account — that officers witnessed a student push a woman to the ground and took her into custody — stands as the only official confirmation of the conduct on video.

Current Status

No charges had been announced against Togochog as of Nov. 2, 2026: campus police released the student after processing “pending warrant authorization,” and the case sits with the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office, which has not said whether it will issue charges. Benichou, through her manager, plans to press charges; the prosecutor review remains open, and the university has not announced any disciplinary action. Togochog has not publicly responded to the identification or the allegations; the Post reported it contacted her for comment. All matters described remain unadjudicated, and any identification beyond the police’s own account rests on third-party reporting.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Until the confrontation, Togochog’s public profile was built on human-rights advocacy: a platform at the International Religious Freedom Summit as its youngest 2026 speaker and recognition for advocating for Mongolians under Chinese rule. The viral video reframed that public identity around the shove and the recorded threat, drew millions of views, and tied her name — through third-party identification — to a prosecutor review on the eve of a contentious Michigan Senate election in which her alleged support for one candidate became part of the story. Her public profiles came down within hours, and her advocacy work now sits alongside an unadjudicated criminal referral.

Sources

• “NY Post: Michigan student ranted about being released from mental hospital after attacking Jewish activist” source
• “NY Post: University of Michigan student arrested after attacking conservative influencer Lizzy Benichou on Ann Arbor campus” source
• “Times of Israel: ‘I should have killed you while I had the chance’: Student attacks conservative Jewish commentator at University of Michigan” source
• “Mediaite: MAGA influencer Liz Benichou attacked by progressive student at Michigan” source
• “The College Fix: VIDEO: Female student attacks conservative Jewish activist at University of Michigan” source