A 63-year-old man was assaulted in Central Park, New York in an “anti-semitic” attack, the New York Police Department said.
The suspect, reportedly in his 40s, fled after the attack on his bicycle that had an attached trailer that had a sign that read “Hungry Disabled”.
The man allegedly shouted antisemitic insults at the man and yelled “Kanye 2024”, NYPD said, a reference to the antisemitic rapper’s planned run for the US presidency in 2024.
The victim is in stable condition and police are still looking for the suspect.
The victim of the assault was walking in the park early Wednesday night when the attacker struck him from behind. Police said that the 63-year-old victim fell to the ground, broke his hand and chipped a tooth in the assault.
The NYPD described the suspect as a man with light complexion, last seen wearing a brown jacket, a multi-colored hat, beige pants and white sneakers with a bicycle carrying an assortment of items.
“Crimes like these have a ripple effect across communities and cause unique trauma on top of physical harm,” Scott Richman, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of New York/New Jersey, told CNN.
Meanwhile, antisemitic attacks reached an all-time high in the US last year — up 34 per cent from 2020, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The New York-New Jersey branch of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was “horrified” by the antisemitic assault, said Scott Richman, regional director.
Mr Richman said that the attack on the senior citizen on Wednesday is an example of how rapper Kanye West’s antisemitic rhetoric has perpetuated violence and incited others to act out. “When public figures with huge platforms fan the flames of antisemitism, people will copy it and begin to think it’s normal.”
“Crimes like these have a ripple effect across communities and cause unique trauma on top of physical harm,” ADL tweeted.
Councilwoman Gayle A Brewer, who represents all of Central Park said in a statement: “This kind of behaviour is absolutely abhorrent. It’s horrific and there is no need for it.”
