Current:Home > StocksIllinois man who pepper-sprayed pro-Palestinian protesters charged with hate crimes, authorities say-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Illinois man who pepper-sprayed pro-Palestinian protesters charged with hate crimes, authorities say
View Date:2024-12-23 19:02:50
CHICAGO (AP) — A 33-year-old man accused of pepper spraying pro-Palestinian protesters who gathered near an Israel solidarity rally over the weekend has been charged with hate crimes and aggravated battery, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The Skokie, Illinois, man who authorities say used the pepper spray, which can irritate the eyes and cause a burning sensation and difficulty breathing, is charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery and two felony hate crime charges, according to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office. He’s expected to appear in court Wednesday.
The confrontation broke out as about 1,000 people were gathered Sunday evening at a banquet hall in a northern Chicago suburb to show solidarity with Israel, and several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied outside, according to police and event organizers.
The pro-Palestinian protest was wrapping up when the sound of a gunshot cracked through the air, and then a few minutes later, a man pepper sprayed attendees, said organizer Hatem Abudayyeh of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network.
A Chicago police officer and two other people sustained minor injuries from being pepper sprayed by an attendee, according to police in Skokie, where the protest took place.
Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas earlier this month, a fatal stabbing of a Palestinian-American child in Illinois, a gun pointed at protesters in Pennsylvania, vandalism at synagogues and harassment of staff at a Palestinian restaurant all are raising fears that the war is sparking violence in the United States and spiking crimes against Jewish and Muslim communities.
“People were running and screaming and very, very afraid,” Abudayyeh said. “These charges are good news.”
The state’s attorney’s office said in an emailed statement Monday evening that they would not charge the man who fired the gun.
Officials determined that the man “acted in self-defense upon being surrounded by a crowd and attacked by some of those individuals,” the statement said. “No charges will be filed in this case.”
Abudayyeh called it a “travesty of justice” that the man who shot the gun was not charged, and said he is concerned about the safety of Palestinian communities across the country.
“We’re hearing all kinds of horror stories from people in schools, and in workplaces, and in grocery stores, and in the neighborhoods,” said Abudayyeh, who is Palestinian American. “I am super concerned for my kid.”
The banquet hall event was organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Los Angeles-based Jewish human rights group. Alison Pure-Slovin, director of the group’s Midwest regional office, could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday but has said that “sadly, things escalated out of fear.”
___
Savage is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
veryGood! (247)
Related
- 'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
- What is the NFL tampering window? Everything to know about pre-free agency period
- Read all about it: The popularity of turning captions on
- Why Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' first Oscar win is so sweet (and a long time coming)
- 2025 Medicare Part B premium increase outpaces both Social Security COLA and inflation
- Selma Blair Rocks Bra Top During 2024 Oscars Party Outing Amid Multiple Sclerosis Battle
- Why Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh's Oscars Dresses Are Stumping Fans
- Have you ever been called someone's 'moot'? The social media slang's meaning, unpacked
- Powerball winning numbers for November 11 drawing: Jackpot hits $103 million
- How much is an Oscar statue worth? The resale value of Academy Awards statues is strictly regulated
Ranking
- NFL playoff picture Week 10: Lions stay out in front of loaded NFC field
- Who won best picture at the Oscars? Al Pacino's announcement sparks confusion
- Get $118 J.Crew Jeans for $44, 50% off Grande Cosmetics Brow Serum, $400 Off Purple Mattress & More Deals
- Biden’s big speech showed his uneasy approach to abortion, an issue bound to be key in the campaign
- UConn, Kansas State among five women's college basketball games to watch this weekend
- Kamilla Cardoso embarrasses South Carolina but sting will be fleeting
- 50-foot sperm whale beached on sandbar off coast of Venice, Florida
- Mac Jones trade details: Patriots, Jaguars strike deal for quarterback
Recommendation
-
Padma Lakshmi, John Boyega, Hunter Schafer star in Pirelli's 2025 calendar: See the photos
-
Royal Expert Omid Scobie Weighs in On Kate Middleton Photo Controversy
-
At 83, filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki earns historic Oscar for ‘The Boy and the Heron’
-
Krispy Kreme offers free doughnuts, introduces 4 new flavors in honor of St. Patrick's Day
-
Anti-abortion advocates press Trump for more restrictions as abortion pill sales spike
-
Surreal April 2024 total solar eclipse renews debunked flat Earth conspiracy theories
-
Oscar Moments: Talk of war and peace, a coronation for Nolan, and Ken-demonium for Gosling
-
Emma Stone was crying, locked out of Oscars during 3 major wins: What you didn't see on TV