Man who pleaded guilty to intimidating pro-Israel protester charged with hate crime for anti-Semitic threats on New York subway

A 36-year-old California man has been charged with a hate crime and harassment by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office after he allegedly threatened a Jewish man on the New York City subway.

This incident took place on the night of major protests at an exhibition in Manhattan commemorating the victims of the Hamas attack on an Israeli music festival on October 7 last year.

According to the DA’s officeChristopher Husary was on a New York subway train on June 10 when he destroyed the door of a train car with an anti-Semitic symbol. The victim, who was wearing a Jewish yarmulke, took a photo of the graffiti – a red inverted triangle – before Husary allegedly demanded he remove the photo, made anti-Semitic comments and said, “Yo, we got a Zionist here.” and “We will find you and there will be consequences,” the district attorney’s office said.

The League against defamation notes that red inverted triangles were used by Hamas’s military wing during the recent conflict in Gaza to mark Israeli military targets.

CNN has contacted Nathan Peterson, an attorney for Husary, for comment.

According to ADL data, the United States has seen an increasing number of anti-Semitic incidents since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

The most recent data from the organization, which has been tracking anti-Semitic incidents in the US since 1979, found a 140% increase in incidents between 2022 and 2023, with a “dramatic” increase occurring after October 7. NYPD dataIn the first nine months of 2024, 496 hate crime incidents occurred in New York City, 276 of which involved Jewish targets.

The victim exited the subway at the next stop and reported the incident to police nearly two weeks later on June 22, New York City police said.

New York City police arrested Husary in Northern California just after he was sentenced to 364 days in jail and two years of probation following a guilty plea to a charge of robbery with a hate crime enhancement for using force and intimidating a woman holding an Israeli man. flag during a demonstration about the war between Israel and Hamas.

According to police, he must start serving his sentence on January 2 Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office.

“Everyone has the right to express their beliefs under the First Amendment and we deeply appreciate those who courageously stood up for their rights despite the defendant’s attempts to silence them,” said Contra Costa District Attorney Diana concrete. “The First Amendment does not protect people who threaten others, cause injury, engage in harassment, or damage property.”

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