NY man who attacked Jews at 3 pro-Palestinian rallies sentenced to 17 months in prison
Tarek Bazrouk, 20, self-described himself as a ‘Jew hater’ in text messages obtained by investigators.
A photo of Tarek Bazrouk during the December 2024 assault. Courtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York
(JTA) — A New York City man who attacked Jewish pro-Israel counter-protesters at three separate pro-Palestinian demonstrations was sentenced on Tuesday to 17 months in prison.
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman read a letter from Tarek Bazrouk during the sentencing hearing where he said there was “no excuse for my behavior” and that he “let feelings over the suffering in Gaza get the best of me.”
Bazrouk, 20, became a cause célèbre for some pro-Palestinian activists after he was charged with three counts of committing hate crimes in May, following his arrest in January for punching a Jewish pro-Israel protester in the nose. During the two preceding incidents, which occurred over a period of nine months, he also punched, kicked and hurled antisemitic slurs at Jewish counter-protesters.
At the time, an investigation by law enforcement found texts on Bazrouk’s phone where he allegedly referred to himself as a “Jew hater” and called on “Allah” to “get us rid of [Jews],” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. During one of the assaults, he wore “a green headband typically worn by Hamas terrorists,” the office said, and he also expressed happiness over learning that a family member was involved in Hamas abroad.
Bazrouk pleaded guilty to targeting his victims for their Jewish or Israeli identity in June as part of a plea agreement that included a sentencing guideline of 12 to 18 months in prison. His sentencing Tuesday also included three years of supervised release.
Bazrouk addressed his victims in the courtroom on Tuesday and told them, “I’m sorry, guys, and hope you can forgive me for my actions,” according to Fox News.
Two of Bazrouk’s victims also spoke at the hearing, with one telling the court that he was a victim of Bazrouk’s “vicious campaign against Jews,” and the other saying he did not feel “in my gut” that Bazrouk was remorseful.
The case elicited advocacy by both pro-Palestinian voices. Ahead of the sentencing, over 12,000 people signed onto a Change.org petition urging Berman to allow Bazrouk’s sentence to be “completed as time served under supervised release.” And more than 200 people came to the hearing at New York’s federal Southern District court as part of a demonstration organized by pro-Palestinian groups on social media, while some pro-Israel advocates also announced a plan to attend.
Berman said during the hearing that the sentencing decision was straightforward for him.
“If you assault somebody unprovoked just because that random somebody is an actual or perceived Jew because you, the assaulter, hate Jews, you are very likely to go to jail,” he said, according to the Times of Israel. “It’s that simple.”
