Suleiman Othman

On December 26, 2021, two Jewish college students, Blake Zavadsky and Ilan Kaganovich, were reportedly assaulted by two men outside a Foot Locker in Brooklyn, New York. Zavadsky wore an IDF sweatshirt, was punched in the face by one of the assailants, who called Zavadsky and Kaganovich “dirty Jews.”

Following his arrest, Othman was charged with aggravated harassment in the second degree, assault with intent to cause physical injury, menacing in the third degree, menacing in the third degree as a hate crime and assault with the intent to cause physical injury as a hate crime.

On January 18, 2023, Othman reportedly rejected a plea deal related to charges stemming from the December 26, 2021 incident. He was offered six months in jail and five years of probation.

As of February 15, 2023, Othman’s next court appearance was scheduled for February 27, 2023.

April 20, 2022 - By Any Means Necessary WOL March

Othman shouted [00:44:22] an anti-Semitic slur and other insults at a protester wearing an Israeli flag at an April 20, 2022 WOL march. The man was walking on a crutch ahead of Othman, who was at the head of the march. After violent agitator Saadah Masoud physically assaulted the man and stole his flag, Othman eventually got possession of it and tied [00:47:47] it around his shoe to trample [00:48:12] on it. Othman later held [00:50:48] the flag while it was on fire.

WOL’s April 20, 2022 rally was titled: “NYC EMERGENCY RALLY TO SUPPORT PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE & LIBERATION BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.”

Yelling an Anti-Semitic Slur

During the rally, Othman and Masoud led [00:43:51] the march while waving Palestinian flags. Othman then spotted [00:44:20] a man walking with a crutch and wearing an Israeli flag on his back. The man was walking in front of them, alone. 

Othman shouted [00:44:22] at the man: “Yahouda,” an Arabic anti-Semitic slur that translates as “Judas,” referring to the disciple who betrayed Jesus. Othman then called [00:44:24] the man a p**sy and then said [00:44:26]: “that dirty f**king flag, yeah p**sy,” as he followed [00:44:41] him down the street.

Othman held up [00:44:31] his middle finger as he approached the man on crutches walking down 42nd Street, between Second and Third Avenue.

Samuel Bravo, a local journalist, reported that a man who wore an Israeli flag on his back and walked with a crutch had been “chased down and beaten” at the march. Bravo posted a video that showed Masoud punching Matt Greenman, a Jewish man, in the face. In the same video, Masoud also stole Greenman’s Israeli flag. Bravo reported that an elderly woman was injured while trying to stop the attack.

The watchdog group Stop Antisemitism tweeted that the attack occurred at 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

Burning a Stolen Israeli Flag

Later on, at the corner of 43rd Street and Third Avenue, two blocks from the attack, Masoud walked [00:47:27] quickly back to the head of the march and pulled out an Israeli flag from under his sweatshirt. 

The flag was next seen in the video less than 10 feet away from Masoud when Othman, who was with Masoud earlier, could be seen tying [00:47:47] the flag to his foot and stomping on it. Other protesters said, “Yo, burn that s**t,” and “Yo, who stole that s**t?” Othman then tied [00:48:27] the flag to his foot again and dragged [00:50:25] it along the pavement.
  
Othman later held [00:50:48] the Israeli flag while it burned as he walked at the head of the march. He later repeatedly kicked [00:57:01] the flag.

A tweet posted the day after the rally included a video of Masoud asking the camera: “Y’all wanna see our trophy for the day? That’s our trophy for the day.” Othman then held up the burning Israeli flag.

May 20, 2021 - Violent Times Square Counterprotest

During a violent counterprotest, Othman yelled [00:01:33] and pointed at Israel supporters while another anti-Israel activist held him back. At the event, he protested [00:07:39]alongside violent rioter Waseem Awawdeh. Othman was on the left side of the screen [00:07:39] waving a Palestinian flag.

The counterprotest occurred during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW) in Gaza.

In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.

Being Held Back While Yelling at Israel Supporters

Othman was held [00:01:33] back by another anti-Israel protester as he was yelling and pointing at Israel supporters. He could be seen [00:01:20] on the left side of the screen, wearing a black shirt and grey pants and holding a Palestinian flag.

At the protest, Palestinian activists shouted at Israel supporters: “Fu** you, you Zionists!” At the time, police managed to keep the two groups apart. 

However, anti-Israel activists later pushed against a police barricade erected to separate the two groups. The anti-Israel side breached the barricade and marched toward the pro-Israel side where they verbally assaulted the pro-Israel activists. Separate videos showed some anti-Israel activists also stealing Israeli flags from pro-Israel activists.  

The anti-Israel activists then moved back to their side of the barricade, where some of them chanted at the Israel supporters: “Nazis! Nazis!”

Moving Away from Police

During the counterprotest, Othman was among a group of activists moving [00:12:03] away from the police when police began arresting activists after the assembly had been declared “unlawful.” 

Police warned the crowd that they would face arrest if they did not disperse. 

Othman could be seen on the left side of the screen, carrying a Palestinian flag and wearing the same outfit detailed above.

On May 21, 2021, WOL posted two Instagram posts that offered legal support and advice to anyone arrested. The posts also portrayed the assailants as victims.

Protesting Alongside a Violent Anti-Semitic Rioter

Othman featured [00:07:39] in a video during the counterprotest, protesting alongside Waseem Awawdeh. At the same event, Awawdeh joined a mob in beating a Jewish pro-Israel activist. Awawdeh was charged with assault as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime and aggravated harassment as a hate crime.

Awawdeh beat Joseph Borgen with a pair of crutches. He was part of a mob of anti-Israel activists who had attacked and reportedly yelled anti-Semitic slurs at Borgen, who was headed to the pro-Israel rally in Times Square on May 20, 2021.

In a YouTube video, Othman stood [00:07:39] next to Awawdeh, who held crutches. Othman was waving a Palestinian flag and he wore the same outfit detailed above.

May 18, 2021 - WOL Rally for Palestine in Manhattan

Othman led [00:06:15] a chant and walked [00:33:06] with a megaphone in a May 18, 2021 protest that was co-organized by WOL. He also appeared [photo] in a news article reporting on the rally and in an Instagram post [slide 5] of pictures from the rally.

The protest occurred outside the Israeli consulate in Manhattan and was titled: “Emergency Rally to Defend Palestine.”

At the rally, protesters chanted [00:33:13]: “Intifada, intifada! Long live the intidada!”

Since the early 2000s, the term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” has carried the connotation of violence.  

On the same day as the march, multiple anti-Israel activists assaulted [00:00:03] two men, including one who held an Israeli flag. Among the attackers were Saadah Masoud and Salem Seleiman, who have both participated in other WOL events.

During the rally, Othman was held [00:06:15] up on the shoulders of two men and yelled into a megaphone: “They can’t stop a peaceful protest! We made these our streets, ladies and gentlemen!”

Othman then led [00:06:24] protesters in a chant where he yelled: “Takbir [glorify]!” and the marchers around him responded: “Allahu Akbar [God is Great]!”

May 15, 2021 -Bay Ridge WOL Rally

Othman chanted [00:17:55] “Free, Free Palestine” at an anti-Israel rally while next to Saadah Masoud. Othman was on the left side of the screen waving a Palestinian flag, sitting on the shoulders of two other anti-Israel activists. Masoud also sat on the shoulders of two other activists.

Othman participated [slide 2] in a May 15, 2021, WOL rally titled: “Nakba 73 Defend Palestine!” The rally took place in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He could be seen [slide 2] on the left side of the screen wearing a keffiyeh around his neck.

The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.

Protesters at the rally chanted [00:07:13]: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free” and [00:27:34]: “Five, six, seven, eight! Israel is a terror state!”

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state.

Also at the protest, anti-Israel protesters chanted: [00:25:14]: “بروح ودم نفديك يااقصى [be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Aqsa - With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you, Aqsa]!,” a reference to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Terrorist leader Yasser Arafat popularized the chant.
 
The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state. Such propaganda has led to multiple periods of violence against Israeli civilians.

May 11, 2021 - WOL Rally and Calling to Destroy Israel

At a WOL rally on May 11, 2021, Othman led [00:08:48] the chant: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” The rally was during OGW and it was titled: “Emergency Rally for Palestine.”

During the rally, Othman also joined [00:05:59] a crowd of people where some of them hit and punched a man wearing a white shirt. Othman could be seen on the left side of the screen wearing a black hoodie sweatshirt.

At the rally, anti-Israel demonstrators yelled [00:00:06] the anti-Semitic chant:“Jaish Muhammad, sawfa ya’ud [the army of Muhammad is returning].” The phrase is the second half of a chant calling for violence against Jews.

Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, soufa ya'oud [Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning]” is a chant recalling the early seventh-century Battle of Khaybar. At Khaybar, Muhammad and his followers massacred the Jews of that town and enslaved the surviving women as “wives.” The chant is often heard at anti-Israel rallies in the United States.