NYPD arrests anti-Israel protester who called to eject ‘Zionists’ from subway car
Anas Saleh, 24, charged with attempted coercion after widely circulated footage showed man matching his description yelling, ‘Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist’ on packed carriage
NEW YORK (AP) — A US man who demanded that “Zionists” identify themselves on a New York City subway train during a protest over the Israel-Hamas war, then suggested that they get out, was charged Wednesday with attempted coercion, a misdemeanor, local police said.
The man was named by the New York Police Department as Anas Saleh, 24, according to the New York Jewish Week.
A video showing him leading protesters in chanting, “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist” on a packed subway car on June 10 drew widespread condemnation from public officials and prompted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to propose banning masks on the subway.
She and others said the chant was antisemitic and intended to frighten Jews. At least one person who was aboard the train complained to police, authorities said.
The New York Post reported that Saleh turned himself in after the NYPD released a photo of him wearing a keffiyeh, the colors of the Palestinian flag and sunglasses, and asked the public to come forward with information.
He was given a desk appearance ticket requiring him to appear in court at a later date, a police spokesperson said. A phone message left at a number listed for the suspect was not returned. It was not clear if he had an attorney.
Anti-Zionism is a modern manifestation of antisemitism.
Example:
An Anti-Zionist declaring on a NYC subway car: “Raise your hands if you’re a Zionist. This is your chance to get out.”Anyone threatening to purge “Zionists” (i.e. most Jews) from public places is an… pic.twitter.com/e3Wh6Ztp32
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) June 12, 2024
A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the episode remains under investigation and anyone with information should contact authorities.
The incident aboard the train took place as a large group of anti-Israel protesters left a rally in Manhattan’s Union Square to head to another demonstration outside an exhibit commemorating victims of the Hamas October 7 massacre at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel. The rampage at the festival left 360 dead, with over 40 taken hostage.
Hundreds of protesters descended into the subway station, some banging on drums and chanting, “We will free Palestine!”
The sudden flood of passengers created a temporary traffic jam on the platform. Police delayed some trains. Protesters sprayed graffiti on some of the subway cars.
Inside one of the delayed cars, a man — who was not wearing a mask — used the “mic check” chanting system popularized during the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests to relay messages to other protesters.
“Mic check. There’s a baby on board,” he said, according to video of the incident.
Then the man says, “Mic check. Repeat after me. Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist.” He then added, “This is your chance to get out.”
Fellow protesters, some wearing face coverings, repeated the call for Zionists to raise their hands. No one aboard the crowded car appears to raise a hand. “OK, no Zionists. We’re good,” the man said, smiling.
Elected officials pointed to the incident as an example of antisemitism at anti-Israel demonstrations over the war in Gaza, which was sparked when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst across the border into Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
“These are reprehensible and vile comments,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said at the time. “I and every New Yorker who stands for peace stand united against them.”Hochul, also a Democrat, appeared to refer to the incident at a June 13 news conference in which she proposed banning people from wearing masks on the subway system, unless they were doing so for health or religious reasons.
“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” she said. The man who led protesters in the chant was not wearing a mask, but some people who repeated it were.
Neither Hochul nor state lawmakers have taken any public action to ban face coverings on public transportation since Hochul suggested it.
Kind of ironic that Anas Saleh, the guy who asked Zionists to identity themselves on a crowded subway, got his cronies working so hard to hide his identity. Cowards.
pic.twitter.com/yNGMnyyZuy— David/Dovid Bashevkin (@DBashIdeas) June 26, 2024
Face coverings were mandated on the subway system during most of 2021 and 2022 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and many riders still wear them to protect themselves and others from infection.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
