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An anti-Israel protester at Vanderbilt University faces nearly a year in prison after participating in a sit-in at the chancellor's office.

Jack Petocz, who was expelled from Vanderbilt University, is charged with an alleged attack on Chief of Staff Dawn Turton and security guard Tony Brown during a March 26 sit-in outside Chancellor Daniel Diermeier’s office to WPLN.

They were protesting against the cancellation of the vote to amend the student union's charter. The university administration had canceled a vote on campus on a proposed change to the student union's charter that would have prevented student union funds from going to companies that work with Israel.

A video released by the university shows students violently entering the administration building.

Judge Lynda Jones ruled during a preliminary hearing on Thursday that there was reasonable suspicion of guilt and told Petocz that he faces up to 11 months and 29 days in prison for the assault.

[RELATED: Vanderbilt University suspends, expels students who occupied chancellor’s office during pro-Palestinian protest]

Jones said Petocz may face a longer prison sentence if prosecutors charge him with trespassing, a Class E felony.

Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., Jones said there is a fine line between free speech and violence.

“There is a line between free speech and violence… Remember, young man: 'Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon that… is a sword that heals, that cuts without wounding, and that ennobles the man who wields it,'” Jones said.

Brown, the security guard, said during the hearing that he received “heat treatment,” pain medication and X-rays for injuries to his wrist and arm as a result of the incident.

“A student approached the outside door, the main entrance, and I opened the door for her and told her she was not allowed into the building,” Brown said. “At that point, two, three other students … ran up the steps and held the door. And other students came after them and they forced their way into the building.”

Petocz told the judge: “These events did not happen in a vacuum.”

“There have been many sit-ins at Kirkland (Hall) in the past… I never had any intention of harming anyone or making them feel unsafe. I have a lot of experience with the organization and would never act like that in this matter,” he said. “I did not walk past the security guard and I don't think I walked past Dr. Turton either.”

[RELATED: Three Vanderbilt students charged with assault after shoving officer, forcing way into building for sit-in: WATCH]

Due to his activism in high school, Petocz met with President Biden in July 2023. In June 2023, he was photographed with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

According to Red State, one of the arrested students, Jack Petocz, had previously organized rallies against two school board members who had attempted to remove inappropriate books from school libraries.

Petocz also participated in a strike at his high school to protest a bill in Florida that was branded by left-wing media as the “Don't Say Gay” law.

Two other former students, Devron Burks and Samuel Shulman, who are accused of assault in connection with the incident, will face a hearing in late November.