Two women are facing hate crime charges for allegedly attacking a Jewish person who called them out for ripping down posters of Israeli hostages on the Upper West Side. The victim was a 41-year-old woman, who was attacked at the corner of Riverside Drive and West 82nd Street just before 10 pm November 9, according to authorities.
Mehwish Omer, 26, later surrendered to police. She was charged with assault and criminal mischief, both as hate crimes. The other suspect, 25-year-old Stephanie Gonzalez, was also arrested and is facing a hate crime assault rap, and also an attempted robbery charge, police said, according to New York Post.
When the victim called the two women out for ripping down the posters, they attacked her, tearing off her Star of David necklace and knocking a cell phone out of her hand. They fled after the attack.
Police said that the victim suffered minor injuries to her neck and face, but she refused medical attention. Her phone, which the attackers had thrown down, was damaged.
The NYPD confirmed that neither of the women have previous arrests. Omer was arraigned at Manhattan Criminal Court earlier this week. Her lawyer said the altercation may have been the result of a heated exchange of words. “I see enough fights in a day and people say things just to rattle other people,” the attorney, Lee Koch, said.
Ever since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, there have been several incidents of people damaging posters of hostages. Various videos of such acts by people have surfaced on social media over the days. Mayor Eric Adams previously described the incidents as a “deeply misguided act of disrespect to victims of terrorism.” “As we see the fallout from this violence spill over into New York City, we must reiterate that hate has absolutely no place here,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Ever since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, there have been several incidents of people damaging posters of hostages. Various videos of such acts by people have surfaced on social media over the days. Mayor Eric Adams previously described the incidents as a “deeply misguided act of disrespect to victims of terrorism.” “As we see the fallout from this violence spill over into New York City, we must reiterate that hate has absolutely no place here,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}