ISRAEL AT WARCalifornia Jewish man dies after altercation at pro-Palestinian protests
ISRAEL AT WAR
California Jewish man dies after altercation at pro-Palestinian protests
Paul Kessler's death was determined to be a homicide. He died of blunt force head trauma a day after an altercation with pro-Palestinian demonstrators in West Los Angeles
Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man who was beaten during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Los Angeles, has been pronounced dead. His death was determined to be a homicide, law enforcement, and a Jewish organization said. Kessler died of blunt force head trauma a day after the altercation on Sunday, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said, adding that witnesses described the incident as battery.
As of Monday night, no suspect was in custody in what the sheriff's office said "appears to be isolated and not part of a large effort," though it had not ruled out a hate crime.
The incident took place as emotions have run high in the United States over the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.
The incident took place during a pro-Palestinian protest in the city when several Jews and Israelis demonstrated in front of it. A fight broke out between several people, and Kessler was beaten with a megaphone. He fell to the ground and bruised his head. The hospital in Los Angeles announced tonight (between Monday and Tuesday) that he had been pronounced dead.
Kessler was taken to the hospital on Sunday confused and with an open wound on his head. His condition was defined as very serious and the hospital said he was fighting for his life. So far, no suspects have been arrested in the incident.
The war conflict in the region broke out on October 7 when hundreds of murderous terrorists from the terrorist organization Hamas broke through the border from the Gaza Strip and carried out a heinous massacre of innocent Israeli civilians inside Israeli territory. In the brutal massacres, at least 1,400 Israelis were murdered - babies, children, women, and the elderly - adopting tactics reminiscent of ISIS.
Thousands more were injured and over 200 women, children, babies, old men, and soldiers were abducted by Hamas to the Gaza Strip, with the intent of using them as bargaining chips against Israel. In response, the IDF has been attacking the terrorist infrastructure of the jihadist Hamas organization in Gaza since October 7, in an attempt to collapse its hold on the Palestinian population in Gaza.
Separate pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations occurred simultaneously on Sunday in the city of Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles (65 km) west of Los Angeles, the sheriff's office said. Kessler was involved in a physical altercation between counter-protesters, the sheriff's office said, citing witness accounts. It did not specify which side instigated the altercation.
"During the altercation, Kessler fell backwards and struck his head on the ground. Kessler was transported to an area hospital for advanced medical treatment. On November 6, 2023, Kessler succumbed to his injuries," the statement said. Deputies asked the public for help in what it called "an active and ongoing investigation." The sheriff's office said it would hold a news conference on Tuesday about the incident.
The leader of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, citing conversations with local government officials, said a pro-Palestinian protester had struck the victim on the head with a megaphone. Rabbi Noah Farkas, President and Chief Executive of the group, said investigators have identified the person but that they have not made an arrest because the probe was ongoing.
"This is what's happening in America right now. There is a culture of fear and a culture of real terror against the Jewish community happening," Farkas said. Kessler, who was carrying an Israeli flag at the demonstration, came from a family of philanthropists who were devastated by his death, Farkas said.
The Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group, also expressed grief over what it called a "tragic and shocking loss," while also asking people to "refrain from jumping to conclusions" or "sensationalizing such a tragedy for political gains". "CAIR-LA and the Muslim community stand with the Jewish community in rejecting any and all violence, antisemitism, Islamophobia, or incitement of hatred," the statement said.
