Elderly Jewish Man Killed At Pro-Palestinian California Rally
A Jewish man succumbed to his injuries after a violent altercation with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator in California on Sunday. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department said that the protester allegedly attacked Paul Kessler, 69, with a megaphone.
The object struck the elderly man in the head, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles reported that he died on Monday.
There were dueling protests being held by supporters of Israel and those of Palestine. The Jewish man was carrying an Israeli flag when he was allegedly struck.
Investigators believe Kessler was fatally wounded when his head hit the sidewalk as he was knocked to the ground.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and ruled the manner of death as homicide. It was determined that Kessler died from blunt force head trauma.
Charges have not been filed against a suspect at this time. The department said that the possibility of a hate crime has not been dismissed.
NBC stealth edited this article after backlash. They initially reported it as a Jewish man just died after hitting his head, leaving out that he was actually killed by a pro-Palestine protester pic.twitter.com/2nUR7TxStP
— Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) November 7, 2023
Civil rights organizations spoke out against the apparently unprovoked violence. The Jewish Federation noted it is the fourth “major antisemitic crime” in Los Angeles just in 2023.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) office in Los Angeles said it was “deeply saddened” by Kessler’s death. But then the statement went further.
The group asked that the public “refrain from jumping to conclusions, sensationalizing such a tragedy for political gains, or spreading rumors that could unnecessarily escalate tensions.”
CAIR officials should not have been too concerned as the mainstream media quickly ran interference for the alleged assailant.
NBC News reported the violence incident with this headline: “Man dies after hitting head during Israel and Palestinian rallies in California, officials say.” Not a word was mentioned about the fact that he was struck with a blunt object by a pro-Palestinian protester.
Without explanation, a “stealth edit” followed. The new headline read: “Jewish man killed in altercation at dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestineian rallies in California.”
It may be too much to ask for the media to fuel national outrage as it had in previous violent incidents at demonstrations. The facts of this latest tragedy in California do not support the prevailing narrative.