Woman who attacked couple over 'Palestine' shirt charged with hate crime

An Illinois woman has been charged following an alleged altercation at a restaurant involving a man wearing a sweatshirt with "Palestine" written on it, authorities said.

Alexandra Szustakiewicz of Darien, Illinois, was charged with two felony counts of a hate crime and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct stemming from the incident at a Panera Bread restaurant in Downers Grove, a Chicago suburb, according to a statement by DuPage County authorities on Monday.

According to the statement citing the investigation, the 64-year-old woman allegedly confronted a man wearing a "Palestine" sweatshirt, yelled expletives, and attempted to knock a phone out of a woman’s hands as she recorded the incident.

In a statement, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin emphasised that everyone in society, regardless of race, religion, or other personal traits, deserves respect and fair treatment, adding that "this type of behaviour and the accompanying prejudice have no place in a civilised society".

Szustakiewicz is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 16 for arraignment.

Targeted actions against Muslims

The incident occurred amid rising reports of targeted actions against Palestinian, Arab and Muslim Americans over the past year.

One such case involved the brutal murder of 6-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea al Fayoume, who was stabbed 26 times at his Plainfield, Illinois home on Oct. 14 last year. His mother, Hanaan Shahin, 32, was also attacked but survived.

Authorities arrested the family’s landlord, Joseph Czuba, 71, charging him with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery and two hate crimes. Czuba has pleaded not guilty.

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Source: TRT