A Nassau County resident wearing a yarmulke in Times Square was beaten and pepper-sprayed Thursday by men making anti-Semitic remarks, according to an NYPD spokesman and County Executive Laura Curran’s office.
The attack, of a 29-year-old man from Lawrence, came as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters clashed in the street at about 6:30 p.m.
Video from the protest shows NYPD cops trying to contain the clashes.
According to the NYPD spokesman, Det. Hubert Reyes, the victim was knocked to the ground near 1604 Broadway, punched, kicked, pepper-sprayed and struck with someone else’s crutches, as anti-Semitic remarks were made. He was treated at Bellevue hospital.
Five or six men are believed to have committed the attack, Reyes said. One of the men, 23, was arrested nearby on West 47th Street and Broadway; charges are pending, and his name wasn’t released. The other attackers are being sought, Reyes said.
On Friday morning, Curran spoke with the father of the victim — Joey Borgan of Lawrence — according to her spokesman Jordan Carmon.
And in a statement, Curran said that she had directed the county police “to continue to communicate with synagogues and yeshivas, as well as other houses of worship, to ensure all of our residents are protected.”
“I am appalled by the Anti-Semitic gang attacks in New York City that victimized a Nassau resident, as well as the rising number of attacks targeting Jews in major cities like Los Angeles and London,” the statement said. “It is completely unacceptable for anybody to be intimidated or attacked because of who they are, and we will not tolerate in Nassau County. We stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters and against vile Anti-Semitism that will never find comfort in our communities.”
In the Mideast, an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire was to go in effect Friday at 2 a.m. local time, halting an 11-day conflict that led to widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and the shutting down of much of Israel.
Speaking Friday morning on his weekly appearance with WNYC radio, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the attack of the 29-year-old, as well as another clashes, in which protesters are seen appearing to throw fireworks. He said that “we have arrests already and more coming.”
“It’s absolutely disgusting and unacceptable. We had a man viciously beaten, simply because he appeared to some individuals to be Jewish. We had folks throwing very potent fireworks and creating harm to others and burning at least one person,” he said.
