(WWJ) – A 35-year-old Dearborn man has been charged with two counts of ethnic intimidation after allegedly hurling anti-Semitic rants and racial slurs outside a synagogue in Bloomfield Township on Friday.
Hassan Yehia Chokr has been charged after the incident outside Temple Beth El, located on Telegraph Road, near 14 Mile Road.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office alleges Chokr made antisemitic and racist threats to parents, young children and security personnel outside the preschool at the synagogue. He was arrested by Dearborn police and remains in custody pending arraignment, officials said Sunday.
“Anti-semitic and racist threats or ethnic intimidation of any kind, will not be tolerated in our community, and every such incident will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald, per a press release. “Our office created Oakland County’s first Hate Crimes Unit a little over a year ago to give us the resources needed to call out, investigate and prosecute these serious crimes.”
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Senior Rabbi Mark Miller said Friday a man in a white van showed up in the parking lot during the normal Early Childhood Center (ECC) drop-off time and began filming families and verbally harassing them.
"[He was] asking them about Israel and making comments about that," Miller said. "He also was hurling some racist epithets at some of our staff."
The man was also allegedly overheard saying, "Kanye was right."
This anti-Semitic incident came less than a day after Kanye West appeared on Alex Jones' Info Wars program, where he made numerous anti-Semitic comments and praised Hitler.
Friday morning, West's Twitter account was suspended over a post depicting an altered image of the Star of David merged with a swastika.
Because Temple Beth El prepares for potential threats, their security team was able to intervene immediately, according to authorities. Bloomfield Township Police arrived shortly after, and Chokr was removed without further incident.
An arraignment date has not been announced.
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