;Composite=(type=URL,url=https://images.radio-canada.ca/v1/assets/elements/16x9/outdated-content-2019.png),gravity=SouthEast,placement=Over,location=(0,0),scale=1 "Attack near New York: attacker referred to Hitler")
According to court documents, Grafton Thomas, 37, had expressed anti-Semitic views in personal writings, where he referred to the nazi culture
and drew swastikas.
He is also said to have searched the Internet for the phrase why Hitler hated the Jews
as well as the address of Zionist temples
.
For the US federal authorities, hate crimes are a separate category of criminal offenses, in which victims have in common that they have been targeted because of their membership – real or perceived – to an ethnic group or religion, or because of their gender identity or disability.
The indictments come as New York Mayor Bill de Blasio denounced a crisis
and a growing problem of anti-Semitism
in the USA.
“A hateful environment has spread across the country,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio lamented on Monday.
Photo : Reuters / Amr Alfiky
—
A hateful environment has spread across the country
, he lamented Monday, detailing a series of measures to protect the large Jewish community in New York, after the assault on Saturday night during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, in Monsey, some 50 kilometers to the north of town.
We believe this is a crisis. There really is a growing problem of anti-Semitism throughout this country. It takes an increasingly violent form.
The forces of hate have been unleashed, and more leeway has been given to hate speech. And part of that has to do with the reality of Washington
– where Republican President Donald Trump lives and where Congress sits – and partly with social networks
, analyzed the Democratic mayor.
Indicted in particular of attempted homicide, the suspect, Grafton Thomas, pleaded not guilty on Sunday.
He is accused of having entered the home of a rabbi on Saturday evening – armed, according to a witness, with a large knife, like a machete or a saber
– then for hitting several people.
The 37-year-old assailant had expressed his anti-Semitic views by referring to “Nazi culture”.
Photo : Associated Press / Julius Constantine Motal
—
Five people were injured and hospitalized. The authorities did not specify the state of health of these people, but local media reported one person seriously affected.
Donald Trump called on Sunday to eradicate
the scourge of anti-Semitism
. This attack comes against a backdrop of escalating anti-Semitic attacks in the United States.
Bill de Blasio also announced an intensification of police patrols and the creation of neighborhood committees responsible for preventing hate crimes.
New York will target young people with a third measure focusing on education, including a program focused on anti-Semitism and the danger of hate
added Mr. de Blasio.
–
