A man who appeared at an Antifa rally in Portland back in August has been arrested and charged with an anti-Semitic hate crime in Seattle. Andy Ngo has the story:
Jamal Oscar Williams, 44, is accused by state prosecutors in Washington state of hate crimes and criminal harassment against Schmuel Levitin, a rabbi, and Ephriam Block. According to court documents, Williams “maliciously and intentionally” followed, threatened to kill and assaulted the men in multiple attacks in October because of their perceived religion.
Levitin and Block were operating a permitted religious booth for the Sukkot Jewish holiday in downtown Seattle on October 11 when Williams allegedly approached them and shouted: “Jews, Jews, Jews … give me your money!” He then said he had a gun and was going to kill them. Both Levitin and Block have beards and payots, or sideburns, and were wearing yarmulkes. Levitin is a rabbi at the Chabad of Downtown Seattle.
On October 14th, Williams allegedly returned and again made anti-Semitic comments and asked for money The following day he reportedly followed the two men into their apartment building where he created a scene by shouting and throwing candy at them.
Williams was a high profile figure at a Portland Antifa rally back in August. This is him (2nd clip below) shouting, “We didn’t come to talk, we come to bang it out!”
Things are getting tense as a man shouts antifa is not here to talk, but to fight. pic.twitter.com/ePwY2cwphu
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 17, 2019
Here he is again, trying to intimidate reporter Julio Rosas to get him (and his camera) away from the Antifa side of the street.
He came up to me again and people again surrounded me. He said I get hurt then that was on me. Police came back said I was provoking them by being there. pic.twitter.com/yHTx34CU50
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 17, 2019
Here he is complaining about being doxed by people with cameras:
#PortlandProtest pic.twitter.com/wwsJPbXzIl
— Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) August 17, 2019
He was eventually arrested at that rally (2nd clip below):
The aggressive antifa shirtless man who was threatening people was arrested by police. This angered the mob who said this was police bias. #PortlandProtests pic.twitter.com/OYDsyLw3EY
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 17, 2019
This wasn’t the first time Williams had been part of an Antifa protest. As Andy Ngo describes here, Williams threatened his life at a protest last year.
“I’m known to do this shit for real,” an antifa protester said to me. “Are you willing to die for Youtube shit?…Death is coming to you.” pic.twitter.com/bhK2wWkMBD
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) December 2, 2018
Williams has a record including harassment and domestic violence. He is being held on $100,000 bond for the hate crime.
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