An “Arab-speaking” family viciously assaulted a Jewish couple after attending a fifth-grade graduation in Brooklyn, N.Y. Saturday, the New York Post reported.
The victims, Lana and Johan, were met with verbal insults after the ceremony at PS 682 in Gravesend. Lana told the outlet that the family shouted at them, “Free Palestine!” “Gaza is Ours!” and “Death to Israel!”
The graduation’s theme was “All you need is love,” but what happened next would be the opposite.
A member of the opposing family pushed Johan to the ground and placed him in a chokehold while other family members kicked and punched him. At some point during the attack, the couple’s 16-year-old son tried to rescue his father but was “punched in the face,” resulting in a bloody nose, the outlet stated.
Lana recorded the incident on her cell phone but found herself being assaulted as well.
“A woman from the group came up from behind me, pulled me by the hair, and knocked me down on the ground, shouting, ‘I will kill you,’” she said.
“They targeted my family because we are Jewish. A graduation event that was supposed to be joyous and memorable turned into a violent and traumatizing one.”
The assault resulted in Johan having to be treated at Maimonides Medical Center. He sustained several injuries, including swelling to multiple parts of his body, bruises, and scrapes. To make matters worse, the couple’s 10-year-old twins witnessed the entire incident.
Police arrested 26-year-old Ez-Al Dean Bazar for the attack. He is accused of assaulting Johan, dragging and punching him, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. He has since been released.
While Lana and her husband were positive that this was a hate crime, the NYPD disagreed. They told Lana that there was nothing on her body that indicated that she was Jewish. The couple remained persistent, however, forcing the NYPD to look into the incident.
“The Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident,” an NYPD spokesperson announced Saturday.
Nathaniel Styer, a spokesman for the Department of Education (DOE) issued a statement condemning violent behavior during events such as graduations. He then went on to insinuate that the victims were also at fault.
“Initial reports we have received from multiple witnesses indicate that both families engaged in aggressive behavior, but we are still investigating the matter and are simultaneously engaging with families as we work towards a resolution,” he said.
Styer’s report is inconsistent with statements collected by the NYPD, according to Lana. She stated that school officials collaborated with her account that the other family initiated the incident. Lana stated that the DOE is attempting to “sweep it under the rug to avoid further scrutiny of this heinous antisemitic act.”
Attacks against the Jewish community have escalated since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 people. According to the NYPD, there were 55 reports of antisemitism in May, a record high since last November. To put it into perspective, 64 percent of the hate crimes committed were against the Jewish community.
The post Jewish Family Attacked At Fifth-Grade Graduation Ceremony In NYC appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Gloriel Howard
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