I also report on cases of anti-Israel vandalism and Israeli flag burning that were construed by prosecutors as anti-Jewish hate crimes. Defense lawyers say that prosecutors and judges in these cases often had little background in the nuances of anti-Zionism and antisemitism.

I report on Elias and Hannah, who, in Manhattan and Boise, respectively, had their lives disrupted when they were charged with hate crimes after two-way minor altercations with pro-Israel individuals. The pro-Israel individuals faced no charges in either case.

now, these laws are being used as part of a larger scale criminalization of pro-palestine protest. Since Oct 7, prosecutors have pursued hate crime prosecutions even when evidence of the crime proved dubious, or have sought to equate anti-Zionism w antisemitism.

hate crime laws have long faced criticism from the left on the grounds of being ineffective for deterring racist violence and paradoxically most likely to criminalize the vulnerable.

@maricohen.bsky.social reports on cases in which pro-Palestine activity has led to hate crimes charges.
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