A judge this week dismissed a malicious harassment charge against a pro-Palestine protester who was arrested over the summer after a confrontation with a Jewish man.
Initially, two protesters were charged in a case that raised questions about the limits of free speech amid contentious nationwide disputes over the Israel-Hamas war. The first protester had their case dismissed in August.
“This case involves the paramount political issue of our time: The dispute over whether what is happening in Gaza right now … is in fact a genocide,” the defense said in court Thursday. “The stakes for free speech could not be higher.”
The confrontation and arrests in Boise illustrate the tension over violence and war in Israel and Palestine....
The man was dining downtown on an Eighth Street patio, wearing a kippah and tzitzit, traditional Jewish clothing items. The protesters were chanting “Free Palestine,” “You’re killing babies,” “America will fall,” and “Israel will fall,” according to previous testimony.
The two also allegedly said, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which many view as a call for Israel’s destruction.
The man previously testified that he made eye contact with the two, stood up and as they approached, told them to leave. The group argued. The protesters left but quickly returned, according to previous testimony.
“But then they came back. And why did they come back? There was a Jew, visibly, a Jew, who was telling them that I didn’t appreciate them and they should leave,” the man previously said in court. “So why did they come back? They came back for me and my wife.”
He got up from the patio, moved toward them and told the protesters to leave, according to previous testimony. One of the protesters allegedly hit him in the nose with a phone. That protester’s charge was dismissed this week.
The prosecution argued this week that the protester’s chants were chosen to anger someone who was Jewish.
“False accusations of Jews killing babies has been a calling card of antisemitism since long before Israel even existed, and that’s common knowledge,” the prosecution said in court.
However, the defense argued this isn’t something everyone knew. Both the judge and the defense said that the protests were against Israel’s actions relating to child deaths. Palestinian authorities have counted thousands of children among the dead, according to the Associated Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment