(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 7/3/2024) – The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) today called on law enforcement to pursue hate crime charges in an assault targeting a pro-Palestine protester in Upper Merion Township.
Earlier today, a 56-year-old woman was assaulted and hospitalized while exercising her First Amendment right to protest. The woman was attending her weekly protest for justice in Palestine at the corner of DeKalb Pike and Henderson Road in Upper Merion Township when she was approached by two individuals who reportedly assaulted her. The interaction began with the assailants getting out of their cars and approaching her, one assailant brandishing scissors and the other waving an Israeli flag. The two assailants reportedly began vandalizing the signs and banners of the 56-year-old woman which quickly escalated into physically assaulting her. The pro-Palestine advocate required medical attention and was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Paoli Hospital where she is still recovering from her injuries.
In a statement, CAIR-Philadelphia Legal Director Adam Alaa Attia, Esq. said:
“We encourage the Upper Merion Township Police Department and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office to charge the assailants to the maximum extent possible, including hate crime charges. A 56-year-old woman who was standing by herself peacefully protesting for Palestinian human rights was assaulted. This is not the first time she has been assaulted in the same spot on Dekalb Pike and Henderson Road. Free speech must be protected for all Americans.”
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CONTACT: Adam Alaa Attia, Esq., CAIR-Philadelphia Legal Director, aattia@cair.com; 267-515-6710.
