Not so fast! The diplomat and Obama advisor who’s been harassing halal vendors in NYC has been arrested on hate crime charges.
Stuart Seldowitz was taken into police custody Wednesday after a recent confrontation at a halal cart in Manhattan. It was all caught on camera and went viral, police say. Several videos captured the former diplomat allegedly harassing the vendor about his Egyptian roots and Islamic faith.
Seldowitz is seen mocking Islam and even taunting the man about his citizenship status. Seldowitz also accuses the vendor of supporting Hamas and references the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. “You support killing little children,” Seldowitz can be heard saying in the video. The vendor retorts, “You kill children, not me.” Seldowitz then replies, “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian children, you know what? It wasn’t enough!”
In addition to being arrested, Manhattan-based lobbying firm Gotham Government Relations cut all ties with Stuart Seldowitz on Tuesday after the viral video emerged. “Gotham Government Relations has ended all affiliation with Stuart Seldowitz,” the lobbying firm announced in a statement. “The video of his actions is vile, racist, and beneath the dignity of the standards we practice at our firm.”
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How Are the Hala Vendors Handling The Situation?
Mohammed Hussein, 24, who recorded at least one of the videos of Seldowitz, has returned to work after filing the complaint.
Meanwhile, in a phone interview with an ABC News producer, Seldowitz previously admitted he overreacted and regrets what he said…
More On The Conflict In The Middle East
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is over who gets what land and how it’s controlled. However, both Jews and Arab Muslims date their claims to the land back a couple thousand years. However, the current political conflict began in the early 20th century.
On October 7, Hamas carried out the most broad-scale attack as it took Israel by surprise, arriving on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Hamas infiltrated the country by land, air and sea. Hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians have been killed, with thousands more on both sides injured. Furthermore, dozens of Israelis have been kidnapped in a dramatic and unprecedented move. Recently, Hamas stated that its attack was in response to the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, and more.
Amid the ongoing war, there has been a surge in hate crimes, according to officials. Many are still strongly praying for peace in the Middle East.