Virginia Brothers Arrested For ‘Jewish Scum’ Attack On Man Wearing Star Of David
(JTA) — Two brothers from the Appalachian Trail town of Damascus, Virginia were arrested after they were captured on video yelling anti-Semitic comments at a man wearing a Star of David.
The incident occurred Monday outside of Hey Joe’s, a restaurant owned by the father of the suspects, Joseph Killian, 33, and Henry Killian II, 35, the Bristol Herald-Courier reported.
Craig Johnston, who reportedly was hiking the trail, filmed the encounter and posted it to social media. Damascus Police told the Herald-Courier that Johnston told police he planned to buy marijuana from the brothers. Johnston maintains in comments on Facebook that he only stopped at the restaurant to eat when the brothers noticed his Star of David.
The town’s mayor, Jack McCrady, said in a Facebook post that while Johnston, whom he called the “not so innocent victim,” did not press charges against the brothers, the town did based on the video. “Nothing can justify the hideous statements by those involved. This does not represent Damascus or our citizens,” he wrote in the post.
In the video, the brothers tell Johnston that he “should be in a f*ckin’ Jewish oven and die like your ancestors.” They also call him “Jewish scum” and tell him he is not welcome in the restaurant. They also threaten to “come and find you later.”
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO