Three Pro-Palestinian Attackers Plead Guilty in NYC Antisemitic Assault

Three Muslim ‘pro-Palestinian’ attackers, who violently attacked a Jewish man in Midtown Manhattan two years ago, have pleaded guilty to assault charges and may face prison sentences later this month, news reports say.

“Mahmoud Musa and Mohammed Othman copped to the charge of second-degree assault as a hate crime Wednesday for their roles in the vicious, infamous, May 20, 2021, assault of Joseph Borgen in the Diamond District,” the New York Post reported Sunday. “On Friday, a third attacker, Mohammed Said Othman, pleaded guilty to attempted gang assault in the violent clash.”

The incident occurred when many thugs waving Palestinian flags attacked a group of Jews on their way to a pro-Israel demonstration in Times Square. Before isolating their main victim, the gang threw a firework from their pick-up truck into the group. Several of them surrounded 29-year-old accountant, Joseph Borgen, whom they identified as a Jew since he wore a kippah.

“Borgen said there were eight to 10 people taking part in the beatdown and they were shouting anti-Semitic slurs such as: ‘You filthy Jew. We’re going to f*****g kill you. Go back to Israel. Hamas is going to kill you’,” the Daily Mail (UK) reported at the time of the incident. “He said the most painful part occurred toward the end, when they pepper sprayed him.”

The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) reported the attacker’s guilty pleas:

On Wednesday in New York City, Mahmoud Musa and Mohammed Othman pleaded guilty to second-degree assault as a hate crime for their role in attacking Joseph Borgen on May 20, 2021. Neither received an offer from prosecutors regarding potential sentencing, so they each could face as few as three and a half years in prison or as much as 15.Mohammed Said Othman received a lesser charge of attempted gang assault and an agreement of three years in prison.A fourth assailant, Waseem Awawdeh, pleaded guilty in April to hitting Borgen four times with a crutch. He said, “If I could do it again, I would.”He received an 18-month sentence, up from six after a public outcry.“If you beat up a Jew in the streets, this is what’s going to happen. … You’re not going to get a slap on the wrist or a BS deal. You’re going to spend real time in jail,” said Borgen at the time.

The NYC attack occurred in the summer of 2021 when the Islamic terrorist group Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel from its bases in Gaza. The Israeli military responded by hitting Gaza terror tunnels used for transporting fighters and weapons and targeting the leadership of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist groups, thus triggering an angry response from Palestinian supporters in the West and across the Muslim world.

Angry demonstrations by Palestinian agitators on Western campuses and streets regularly accompany terrorist provocations in Gaza. These rage-filled protests are getting increasingly violent, targeting Israelis and Jews alike. In August, a pro-Palestinian mob attacked students and faculty at a university in Brazil, who had gathered for an event featuring the Israeli ambassador.

Tags: Antisemitism, New York, Palestinian Incitement

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