Police arrested a couple in Brooklyn for allegedly attacking three Hasidic Jewish men after blaming them for starting the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the New York City Police Department, Paulo and Clelia Pinho hurled anti-Semitic slurs at the three men while trying to rip off their facial coverings on Sunday night. The husband had called the police earlier in the day to report a gathering that violated the stay-at-home orders in effect in the state.
The police reported that one of the two told the men, “You’re the reason why we’re getting sick,” during the attack. The pair has since been charged with hate crimes.
Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the alleged attack on Monday, saying, “We don’t accept bias in New York City. Any act of hate crime, we pursue it.”
De Blasio has been criticized for his recent remarks singling out the Jewish community for violating social distancing guidelines. In late April, he tweeted, “My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”
Many feared this remark could lead to more anti-Semitic incidents in the city. New York City had already seen an uptick in such attacks in the beginning of the year, leading many local leaders, including de Blasio, to participate in a solidarity march to bring awareness to anti-Semitic hate crimes in the city.
