CAIR-NJ Welcomes Bias Charges Against Attackers Who Assaulted Anti-Genocide Muslim Protester
CAIR-NJ Welcomes Bias Charges Against Attackers Who Assaulted Anti-Genocide Muslim Protester
(NEWARK, NJ – 2/19/2025) – The New Jersey chapter of the Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR-NJ) today welcomed bias charges against two people who allegedly attacked a Muslim protester participating in an anti-genocide rally in northern New Jersey in November 2024.
Solomon David Silberberg and Moshe A. Glick were each charged with aggravated assault, bias intimidation and weapons charges after they attacked a 42-year-old Muslim man from Bergen County at an anti-genocide protest in mid-November in West Orange, New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office told CAIR-New Jersey. The rally was in opposition to a real estate event held by a group attempting to sell stolen land of Palestinians in Jerusalem.
“During the rally, pro-Israel counter-protestors allegedly stormed toward the pro-Palestinian protestors and began ripping away their materials. According to witnesses, one of the counter-protestors forcefully pulled the victim’s bullhorn out of his hands,” a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office told CAIR-NJ in a statement Wednesday.
Silberberg reportedly pepper-sprayed the victim at a close range, the prosecutor’s office said. Shortly after, Glick reportedly struck the victim on his head with a flashlight, causing severe injuries that required hospitalization, prosecutors said.
CAIR-New Jersey is not identifying the victim nor is it releasing any personal information about him due to safety concerns and fear of risking further violence.
In a statement, CAIR-New Jersey Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said:
“We strongly condemn the alleged violent, unprovoked assault on the anti-genocide protester that resulted in him being hospitalized. This violent attack is deeply disturbing. The use of pepper spray and a flashlight as a weapon shows just how far pro-genocide demonstrators are willing to go to silence anyone who opposes their genocidal agenda.
“We urge officials to prosecute the case to the full extent of the law as the vile hate crime that it is. No one should be targeted for practicing their right to free speech and assembly, especially those advocating for human rights and justice.
“We call on our state’s elected leaders to condemn this hate crime and let it be known that anti-Palestinian hate will not be tolerated in our state.”
In a statement, the victim’s attorney, Sonya M. Sumner of Sumner Law LLP, said:
“Our client is committed to ensuring that those responsible for this vicious, hate-motivated assault are prosecuted to the fullest extent and is cooperating with prosecutors to seek justice.
As a victim of a bias crime, he also intends to pursue all available civil remedies against his attackers, including monetary damages for his severe and ongoing physical and emotional injuries, punitive damages, and reasonable attorneys’ fees. Perpetrators of bias-motivated violence must understand that they will not only face criminal prosecution but also significant civil liability.”
Between January to June 2024, CAIR documented 4,951 incoming bias complaints nationwide, a 69 percent increase over the same period in 2023.
Last year, CAIR’s national office released its 2024 civil rights report, which revealed the highest number of complaints it has ever received in its 30-year history. Titled “Fatal: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate,” the report documented 8,061 complaints. Nearly half of all complaints received in 2023 were reported in the final three months of the year.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
BACKGROUNDER:
The November 2024 rally in West Orange, New Jersey, was protesting the controversial sale of stolen land in Palestine. This event in particular was organized by a group known as “My Israel Home” to expand the illegal settlements in Jerusalem. Notably, the pro-Israeli group has held several events throughout the U.S. attempting to sell properties on land stolen from Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. The group has held illegal land sale events on Long Island and Baltimore in addition to Teaneck and West Orange in New Jersey.
SEE: Protests planned in Teaneck over real estate fairs pitching West Bank properties
CAIR-New Jersey has condemned these sale events as a way to expand the Zionist agenda of colonizing Palestine. The legality of these events has also been questioned by international law experts.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-New Jersey Communications Manager Aya Elamroussi, 551-208-5482, aelamroussi@cair.com Sumner Law LLP, Sonya M. Sumner, Esq., (609) 955-6972, office@sumnerllp.com
