NYC mayor says antisemitic attackers 'will be prosecuted'

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio promised Sunday that police would catch the group of young men who hurled antisemitic threats outside of a synagogue in Brooklyn.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio delivers his remarks in Times Square after he toured the grand opening of a Broadway COVID-19 vaccination site intended to jump-start the city's entertainment industry, in New York, Monday, April 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Associated Press

May 24, 2021 at 10:57 a.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio promised Sunday that police would catch the group of young men who hurled antisemitic threats outside of a synagogue in Brooklyn and damaged a car parked nearby.

The assailants Saturday yelled “Free Palestine! Kill all Jews!” at worshipers outside a synagogue in the Orthodox neighborhood of Borough Park, Assembly Member Simcha Eichenstein, who represents the area, said on Twitter. Two of the men banged on the locked door of the synagogue and kicked the side mirror off of a parked car, authorities said.

The incident and other reports of harassment of Jewish New Yorkers stoked fears of antisemitic violence linked to the 11-day war between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza strip.

More than two dozen people were arrested on charges including hate crime assault after pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrators clashed in Times Square on Thursday.

De Blasio, a Democrat, visited Borough Park’s 66th Precinct police stationhouse and assured Orthodox leaders that anyone committing hate crimes would be arrested and prosecuted.

“The perpetrators of these incidents will be found,” de Blasio said. “We’ve talked about it in detail. They will be found. They will be prosecuted. They will suffer the consequences.”

Chief of Department Rodney Harrison promised beefed up policing of Orthodox neighborhoods. “If you choose to commit a hate crime in this city, my detectives will catch you,” said Harrison, who joined the mayor on Sunday. “We will bring you into custody and hold you accountable.

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