Man who pleaded guilty to intimidating pro-Israeli protester charged with hate crime for antisemitic threats on NYC subway
Protesters gather at Union Square in New York City to demonstrate against Israel's ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and express solidarity with Palestinians on June 10 in New York City.
By Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN
(CNN) — A 36-year-old California man has been charged with a hate crime and harassment by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office after allegedly threatening a Jewish man on the New York City subway.
This incident took place on the night of large protests outside a Manhattan exhibition commemorating the victims of Hamas’ attack on an Israeli music festival on October 7 last year.
According to the DA’s office, Christopher Husary was on an NYC subway train on June 10 when he vandalized a train car door with an antisemitic symbol. The victim, who was wearing a Jewish yarmulke, took a picture of the graffiti — a red inverted triangle — before Husary allegedly demanded that he delete the photo, made antisemitic remarks, and said, “Yo, we got a Zionist over here,” and “We’ll find you and there will be consequences,” the DA’s office said.
The Anti-Defamation League notes that red inverted triangles have been used by the military wing of Hamas in the recent Gaza conflict to mark Israeli military targets.
CNN has reached out to Nathan Peterson, an attorney for Husary, for comment.
The United States has seen rising levels of antisemitic incidents since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, according to data from the ADL.
The most recent data from the organization, which has tracked antisemitic incidents in the US since 1979, found a 140% increase in incidents from 2022 to 2023, with a “dramatic” increase taking place after October 7. According to NYPD data, 496 hate crime incidents took place in New York City during the first nine months of 2024, with 276 involving Jewish targets.
The victim exited the subway at the following stop and reported the incident to police nearly two weeks later, on June 22, according to the New York City Police Department.
New York City police arrested Husary in Northern California just after he was sentenced to 364 days in the county jail and two years of probation following a guilty plea to a charge of robbery with a hate crime enhancement for using force and intimidating a woman holding an Israeli flag during a demonstration over the Israel-Hamas war.
He is to begin serving his sentence on January 2, according to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office.
“Everyone has the right to express their beliefs under the First Amendment and we deeply appreciate those who bravely stood up for their rights despite attempts by the defendant to silence them,” Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton said. “The First Amendment does not protect people who threaten others, cause injury, engage in intimidation, or damage property.”
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