An Arizona doctor and his wife, along with another individual, were arrested for scratching derogatory phrases onto 16 cars belonging to demonstrators who attended a pro-Palestine protest in January. The incident occurred during a pro-Palestinian protest near a synagogue where a fundraising event for the Anti-Defamation League was taking place, hosted by its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt. Surveillance footage showed the doctor acting as a lookout as they drove to the protest with the intent to damage the protesters’ vehicles, as cited in court filings.
Protest organizers and local Jewish and Palestinian community members gathered in front of the synagogue to raise awareness of Greenblatt’s visit and discredit his message. The protest was peaceful until those attending the ADL event started disrupting and making inappropriate gestures and remarks. Despite heavy police presence during and after the protest, the police reportedly did nothing to prevent the vandalism. The demonstrators later found defamatory hate speech scratched onto their vehicles, including phrases like “murderer,” “baby killer,” and “rapist,” along with Stars of David etched onto some cars.
The doctor’s wife, who served as the chapter chair of the Arizona Republican Jewish Coalition, was allegedly seen damaging approximately ten cars during the incident. The other individual involved confessed to damaging a Subaru using a screwdriver and witnessed the doctor’s wife being “out of control” by spitting towards the Palestinian supporters. The protest organizers condemned the vandalism as a hate crime, emphasizing the usage of the Star of David, a religious symbol, as a hate symbol. The Anti-Defamation League denied any involvement in the vandalism and stated that any suggestion otherwise was defamatory.
Police estimated that the vandalism caused around $100,000 in damages to the protesters’ vehicles. The incident sparked outrage among the demonstrators as they accused the perpetrators of engraving anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic phrases onto their cars. The protest itself aimed to raise awareness and discredit the message of the ADL’s CEO, but tensions escalated when attendees of the ADL event disrupted the protest. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, the aftermath led to confrontations and the damaging of the demonstrators’ vehicles.
The doctor and his wife, along with the third individual, were charged with criminal damage for keying the cars belonging to the protest attendees. Surveillance footage indicated that the trio had the intent to damage the vehicles and were seen acting suspiciously as they drove to the protest. The incident highlighted the ongoing tensions surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict and the deep divisions in the community. The protest organizers and supporters expressed their outrage at the vandalism, labeling it a hate crime and calling for accountability for those responsible for the damages. The repercussions of the incident continue to reverberate within the local community and raise questions about the broader issues of hate speech and vandalism.
