A man who self-identified as a “Jew hater” and attacked Jewish pro-Israel protesters at three separate pro-Palestinian rallies has been charged with three counts of committing hate crimes.
Tarek Bazrouk, 20, of New York City, had been arrested at three different protests over a period of nine months where he kicked and punched Jewish pro-Israel demonstrators, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. On Wednesday, he was arrested again and charged with hate crimes in connection with the incidents.
“Despite being arrested after each incident, Bazrouk allegedly remained undeterred and quickly returned to using violence to target Jews in New York City,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York in a statement.
During the first assault, which took place near the New York Stock Exchange on April 15, 2024, Bazrouk allegedly wore the green headband associated with Hamas and was arrested by police after he allegedly lunged at a group of pro-Israel protesters. As he was escorted by police, he then allegedly kicked a Jewish college student in the stomach.
On Dec. 9, 2024, at another pro-Palestinian protest near Columbia University, Bazrouk stole an Israeli flag from a Jewish Columbia student, punched him in the face and hurled antisemitic slurs after the student pursued him.
The final assault occurred near NYU Tisch Hospital when it was targeted by activists on Jan. 6, 2025. Bazrouk allegedly punched a Jewish pro-Israel protester in the nose after the individual pushed Bazrouk off of him. He was arrested after all three assaults.
Within Our Lifetime, an extremist anti-Israel activist group that regularly targets Jewish sites and features antisemitism at its rallies, organized or participated in protests in each location on those dates.
According to an investigation by law enforcement after the string of attacks, text messages on Bazrouk’s phone allegedly showed him identifying as a “Jew hater” and labelling Jews as “worthless.” He also allegedly called on “Allah” to “get us rid of [Jews],” called someone a “f—ing Jew” and instructed a friend to “slap that bitch” in reference to a woman with an Israeli sticker on her laptop, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
His phone also included several examples of pro-Hamas and pro-Hezbollah propaganda, and said he was “mad happy” after learning during a trip to the West Bank in 2024 that his relatives were a part of Hamas, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Bazrouk pleaded not guilty to the three hate crime charges Wednesday, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
In New York, tensions over the war in Gaza have escalated to physical violence on several occasions, and have led to prosecutions for antisemitic hate crimes. At Columbia on Wednesday, two officers were hurt in a protest at the school’s library. Last month, following an anti-Zionist demonstration in Crown Heights, one protester was arrested, and a viral video circulated showing Jewish men assaulting a woman.
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