The Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, and Israel’s subsequent ground invasion of Gaza, has led to significant rise in hate crime attacks on both Jews and pro-Palestinians in the US; but Professor Jeannine Bell of Chicago’s Loyola University believes complex legislation, inadequate police training and a lack of specialists officers and prosecutors means that hate crimes are rarely reported, well investigated, charged or brought to trial.
With hate crimes, context is everything, and events outside of the United States – like the war between Israel and Hamas – can have far-reaching and potentially tragic consequences.
‘Investigations like this are required because hate crimes have precise qualities, which must be met in order to satisfy legal requirements. And even when police and prosecutors believe the elements of a hate crime are present, such crimes can be difficult to prove in court.’
Vermont police arrested a man in Burlington on 27 November 2023, for allegedly shooting three 20-year-old Palestinian American men, seriously wounding them. Two of the men wore Palestinian keffiyehs, a traditional scarf that has come to symbolize Palestinian identity.
Jason James Eaton, the New York resident charged with the crime, has pleaded not guilty. Authorities are still investigating whether Eaton should be charged with a hate crime.
Lees verder via policinginsight.com
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