New York police on Friday were looking for the perpetrators of the assault on a Jewish man on the sidelines of clashes between pro-Israelis and pro-Palestinians the day before in Times Square, amid an increase in anti-Semitic acts fueled by the conflict in the Middle East.
According to a police spokesperson, the attack took place at around 6.30 p.m. on Thursday: “five or six men” beat and sprayed a 29-year-old man with pepper spray, while hurling anti-Semitic insults at him. Video of the scene was released by the New York Post.
The police, who launched a call for witnesses on Twitter, said Friday that the victim had been hospitalized in “stable” condition, without giving his identity.
A 23-year-old man, identified as Waseem Awawdeh and suspected of participating in the assault by beating the man with a crutch, has been arrested and charged with hate-motivated assault and assault in assembly, according to the report. police. The others were still wanted on Friday.
The events took place on the sidelines of clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators, gathered shortly after the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after 11 days of conflict.
A woman suffered burns when fireworks devices were thrown at passers-by by unidentified people, according to the police, who are also investigating the case, which they consider a possible “crime motivated by the hatred”.
Twenty-six people were arrested during this demonstration, according to the spokesperson.
“Anti-Semitism has no place in our city,” and “the perpetrators of this heinous act will be prosecuted,” tweeted Friday Bill de Blasio, mayor of the American metropolis which has the largest Jewish community outside of Israel.
He said the police had, since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, reinforced security measures in “sensitive areas” for the Jewish and Palestinian communities in the city.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and other elected Democrats or candidates for the next municipal elections also condemned the assault, including influential young congressman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who denounced on Saturday Israel’s “apartheid” policy towards the Palestinians.
“There is no room for anti-Semitism in the Palestinian liberation movement,” the Democrats left-wing star tweeted. “Our criticisms target Israel and its human rights violations. They are not an excuse for anti-Semitic crimes ”.
According to Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) which fights anti-Semitism and racism, “we have recorded in the last 7 to 10 days an increase of more than 50% of anti-Semitic acts”.
Several recent attacks have gone unnoticed, he lamented.
While the media notably reported an assault on Tuesday against Jewish people seated on a restaurant terrace in Los Angeles, he claimed that other attacks had taken place in New York, Florida, Illinois and California. , and reported a “disturbing” rise in anti-Semitic messages on social media.
Several protests, mostly smooth, have taken place in New York and other cities around the world since the start of the conflict.
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