A 69-year-old Jewish man died this Monday from the injuries he suffered during an altercation at a demonstration over the Israel-Hamas war this Sunday in Thousand Oaks, an incident that was not ruled out as a hate crime.
In a statement, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office reported that the victim, identified as Paul Kessler, died after allegedly getting into an altercation with pro-Palestinian protesters and hitting his head on the ground.
According to authorities, a confrontation occurred between two demonstrations in favor of the Israeli and Palestinian sides near Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard.
The cause of the altercation remains under investigation, but some reports indicated that, before falling, Kessler was hit in the head with a megaphone by one of the participants of the pro-Palestinian group.
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According to Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Officethe death of the 69-year-old Jewish man was from a head injury with a blunt object.
“The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and The possibility that it was a hate crime has not been ruled out.“said the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Kessler was assisted by emergency services, while a witness stated that the incident occurred after a heated confrontation.
“They were both on level ground and were shouting at each other, and then the man raised his megaphone and hit Paul, who fell,” said the witness, who declined to be identified.
People who were at the scene mentioned that Members of the pro-Palestinian group approached and began to have confrontations with the other groupan incident that suddenly turned violent.
Kessler was reported to have He died this Monday due to injuries..
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The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles She was devastated to learn of Kessler’s tragic death after being hit with a megaphone by a pro-Palestinian protester.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. While we await further information from our law enforcement partners, we remind them that this It is the fourth major anti-Semitic crime committed in Los Angeles this year alone.“said the Jewish federation.
“Violence against our people has no place in civilized society. We demand security. We will not tolerate violence against our community. “We will do everything in our power to prevent it,” she added.
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The executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Amy Spitalnick, said there has been an increase in anti-Semitic acts since Israel’s conflict against the Hamas group began last month.
“People have the right to protest Israeli policies and actions, but lately, in too many cases, we have seen protesters veering towards explicit and dangerous extremism and anti-Semitism. “The death of Paul Kessler appears to be the sadly inevitable outcome,” Spitalnick said.
The board asked that all decent people unequivocally reject hatred and violence that have skyrocketed since October 7, regardless of their views on the conflict or at whom such hatred and violence is directed.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic and shocking loss. “We join local Jewish leaders in calling on all people to refrain from jumping to conclusions, sensationalizing such a tragedy for political gain, or spreading rumors that could unnecessarily escalate tensions that are already at a critical point,” the executive director said. by Council on American-Islamic Relations Los Angeles (CAIR-LA), Hussam Ayloush.
The CAIR-LA director asked to wait for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office to finish the investigations before issuing conclusions.
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