A Brooklyn Jewish community leader says he was attacked by Pro-Palestine protestors outside of Barclays Center after the Maccabi Tel Aviv-Brooklyn Nets game Tuesday night, breaking his nose and requiring stitches.
From The Forward:
Leonard Petlakh, 42, director of the Kings Bay Y, said protestors shouting “Free Palestine” and “Your people are murderers,” accosted him as he left the game in downtown Brooklyn. One of them struck Petlakh in the face, he said.
“It’s ridiculous,” Petlakh told The Forward. “It’s not about the Middle East, it’s about sports.
Petlakh suffered a broken nose and a cut that required eight stitches after the attack, which he said was being investigated by police as an anti-Semitic hate crime.Petlakh said he hoped, “vile anti-Semitic hooligans masquerading as anti-Zionists will be caught soon.”
The Daily News reported that the dispute started inside the arena when protesters unfurled a Palestinian flag near Petlakh, who was with his family and friends. The argument continued outside when one member of Petlakh’s group tried to grab the flag, police told the News.
More: The Forward — Jewish Leader Attacked at Brooklyn Nets Game After Palestinian Flag-Grab Incident
