NY cops arrest teens over ‘Free Palestine’ assault on Jewish man in Brooklyn

Incidents targeting the Jewish community in the State of New York have increased 24 percent since last year, according to the ADL.

By Dion J. Pierre, The Algemeiner

The New York Police Department has arrested two teenagers in connection with an assault on a Jewish man in Brooklyn last month during which the slogan “Free Palestine” was shouted as the victim was being beaten.

The two boys, aged 14 and 16, were charged on Wednesday with third-degree assault and first-degree harassment, with both classed as hate crimes.

The unnamed yeshiva student was attacked on May 6 at the intersection of Avenue M and East 18th Street in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Five males surrounded him and punched him in the face as one of the assailants shouted “Free Palestine.”

The victim was briefly hospitalized at Maimonides Medical Center and released.

Incidents targeting the Jewish community in the State of New York have increased 24 percent since last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

The ADL found that with 416 attacks, New York had the highest number of antisemitic incidents in the entire country — 12 percent more than neighboring New Jersey.

In New York City, antisemitic hate crimes increased by nearly 100 percent, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) reported in April. In February of this year, the New York Police Department recorded 56 hate crimes against Jews, compared with 11 in the same month the previous year.

ADLAnti-Defamation LeagueAntisemitismFree PalestineHate crimeNew YorkNew York City