The battle on antisemitism: Fighting prejudice with prejudice

IN THE aftermath of the fiery attack on a group of people in Boulder, Colorado, who had gathered for a march calling for the release of hostages in Gaza, the brick plaza where they once stood was cordoned off with police tape.

- ROBIN GIVHAN

Men and women had essentially been fire bombed on a Sunday afternoon, so workmen washed the residue of mayhem from the ground in front of the county courthouse. In the distance, hanging over the courthouse’s double doors was the rainbow flag, a symbol of tolerance and inclusivity — more hope than fact.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian man who was arrested for the violence, which the FBI has characterised as a “targeted terrorist attack”, was reported to have shouted, “Free Palestine,” before allegedly flinging molotov cocktails at the marchers.

The story of Boulder calls to mind the tragedy in Washington just 11 days earlier, when two employees of the Israeli Embassy were killed in front of the Capitol Jewish Museum after attending a reception there. The man who was arrested at the scene confessed, according to the FBI, stating: “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”

In the bleak hours and days after these attacks, the sky fills with the lights of police cars glowing brightly. Officers wearing helmets and bullet-proof vests, and holding big guns, huddle around tactical vehicles.