Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Colorado Bombing Suspect Pleads Guilty to Hate Crimes

Transcript

Colorado Bombing Suspect Pleads Guilty to Hate Crimes · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today we
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: begin with a significant development in a case of violent antisemitism,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: as a man has pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: for a gasoline bomb attack on a pro-Israel rally. Also
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: this week, arrests in Rome following an antisemitic assault on
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: a Jewish researcher. A new report detailing significant barriers for
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Jewish employees in the UK workplace. An ongoing debate within
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: a major professional organization over the definition of antisemitism. Antisemitism
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Watch is launching Mid-Atlantic, providing focused coverage from New York,
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region. You can find
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: more at clockworkmedia.org.ma. We start with accountability in a case
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: of severe violence. Mohamed Sabri Solomon, an Egyptian national, pleaded
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: guilty on October 29 to federal hate crime charges for
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: lobbing gasoline bombs at a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: On June 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice stated
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: that Solomon admitted he committed the attack because of the
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: actual or perceived Jewish religion and Israeli national origin of
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: the targeted group. Prosecutors said Solomon yelled, free Palestine, as
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: the Molotov cocktails he threw burst into flames. The attack
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: injured several people and led to the death of 82-year-old
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Karen Diamond. Solomon is already serving a life sentence on
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: state murder charges. His federal plea deal asks for a
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: sentence of life in prison plus 50 years, with sentencing
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: scheduled for January 7, 2027. Turning to physical violence, Rome
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: authorities have arrested two men suspected of brutally assaulting Benedetto Ligorio,
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: a Jewish researcher specializing in European Jewish communities. According to
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: local police, the attack occurred after Ligorio left a synagogue.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: When the assailants hurled anti-Semitic insults and physically assaulted him,
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: also attempting to snatch his phone. Italy's Specialized Police Unit, DIGOS,
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: is handling the case and used surveillance footage to identify
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: and apprehend the suspects, aged 36 and 46, who are
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: now in custody facing charges including attempted aggravated robbery with
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: a racial motive. This incident comes as Italy has seen
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: a significant rise in antisemitic incidents, with the Milan-based CDEC
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Foundation formally classifying a record high 963 cases as antisemitic
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: last year, a substantial increase from previous years. In institutional responses,
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: a new report from UK-based business psychology consultancy Pirin Kendola
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: reveals significant barriers faced by Jewish employees in the workplace.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: The report found that over 70% of Jewish employees have
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: avoided reporting incidents of antisemitism due to these barriers, and
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: more than 75% feel that diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI,
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: approaches are inconsistent in addressing anti-Jewish hostility. Furthermore, over 60%
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: believe antisemitism receives less attention than other forms of racism
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: in their organizations. Experts warn that complaints are frequently dismissed
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: or downplayed, creating a dangerous cycle where fewer reports are
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: mistaken for evidence that antisemitism is not a problem. In parallel,
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: the American Psychological Association, or APA, is experiencing internal conflict.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: A group called Psychologists for Justice in Palestine has campaigned
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: against an APA resolution that linked extreme anti-Israel rhetoric with
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: antisemitic actions. The group petitioned the APA to reject the
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: conflation of antisemitism with criticism of Israel, arguing it obstructs
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: human rights efforts. Notably, Candace Hargans, elected as the 2028
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: APA president, signed this petition. The APA's own 2026 resolution
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: on antisemitism invoked the weaponization of antisemitism, defined as the
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: bad faith invocation of accusations to silence legitimate criticism, a
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: definition that critics suggest could be used to suppress advocacy
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: for Palestinian rights. In politics and media, antisemitism remains a
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: key issue in Michigan's U.S. Senate race. Progressive Democrat Abdul
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers, with prominent Jewish leaders calling
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: for El-Sayed to commit to specific actions addressing Jewish community needs.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Research from the Middle East Forum has questioned El-Sayed's appearances
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: at mosques, where leaders reportedly use extreme rhetoric against Israel
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: and Zionists. Meanwhile, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly rebuked
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: El-Sayed's position on Israel, calling his remarks more than concerning
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: and wrong in comments made on the On Brand podcast
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: just days before the election. Separately, Australia's Special Envoy to
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: Combat Antisemitism, Gillian Segal, has released a report identifying progressive antisemitism,
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: which she defines as antisemitic commentary presented as criticism of Israel,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: sparking debate and concerns among some progressive Jewish groups who
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: feel targeted by the accusation. Finally, in positive developments, California
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: is set to officially recognize Jewish identity as an ethnicity
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: for state demographic data collection with its SB 1387, which
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: takes effect January 1st, 2029. Supporters argue this change is
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: crucial for tracking disparities and addressing the surge in antisemitism,
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: which often targets Jews as a people rather than solely
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: for their religious practice. While some opponents raised concerns about
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: government registries, the law aims to provide a clearer framework,
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: normalizing an ethnicity-based framing for Jewish identity in anti-discrimination law.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: In Canada, the Beit Ezekiel Synagogue in Owen Sound is
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: spearheading an initiative called Building Bridges, bolstering rural Jewish safety
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: through multisectoral collaboration and education. Funded by a significant grant,
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: the project aims to educate communities and bolster safety in
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: response to rising antisemitic incidents. This includes specialized training for
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: police and teachers on antisemitism and Holocaust education, and enhanced
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: security measures for the synagogue itself. following a recent hate-motivated
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: crime against an officer outside a synagogue in Belleville. I'm
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. For
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch, midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org slash ma.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so you don't
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: miss the next update. This report was generated with AI
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: primary sources.