New York Attorney General Letitia James warned on Thursday that “acts of Islamophobia” will not be tolerated in the state after police released photos of a man accused of snatching a hijab from a teenage girl’s head late last month.
According to a release from the New York City Police Department (NYPD), which was shared with Newsweek, officers are seeking assistance in identifying a man in connection to an “aggravated harassment” that took place around noon April 28.
Police said the man approached the 17-year-old and removed her hijab, then yelled: “You don’t need to be wearing that here,” before fleeing the scene. The incident took place while the girl, who was not identified, was walking westbound on East 44th Street toward 2nd Avenue in East Midtown. No injuries were reported.
NYPD Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information
“This is hateful, dangerous, and will not be tolerated in New York,” James wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter, in response to a report by New York’s Daily News.
“We will not allow anyone to carry out acts of Islamophobia or make any New Yorker feel unsafe,” she added. “Anyone with information about this individual should contact @NYPDnews immediately.”
Police said in their release that anyone with information should call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or submit a tip through the website, crimestoppers.nypdonline.org. All calls are “strictly confidential,” officials added.
The report comes as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war have surged in New York City in recent weeks, with pro-Palestinian rallies taking over streets, college campuses and events like the Met Gala. Protesters are calling for a ceasefire in the conflict and for organizations, such as Columbia University and New York University, to pull back on their ties to Israel.
Such demonstrations have been met with heavy police force and dozens of arrests, and instances of antisemitism have been reported at some protest sites. Student-led protests have remained largely peaceful, although the NYPD has warned of “professional agitators” joining in and attempting to escalate the rallies.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
James previously gave a red line for pro-Palestinian protesters gathering on college campuses, saying in a post to X last month that while students have “a right to peacefully protest … acts of antisemitic violence cross a line.”
According to the NYPD Hate Crimes Dashboard, from January 1 to March 31, 81 incidents of bias toward Jewish people were reported. In the same time span last year, the figure was 61.
Six incidents of bias toward Muslims were reported during the first three months of 2024 as well in New York City, compared to just two during the same time period last year.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
