(NEW YORK, NY, 1/21/2022) – The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-New York) today welcomed hate crime charges in the racist harassment of a family on a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train. CAIR-New York also condemned a racist Facebook post by a Waterloo town supervisor.
Two LIRR passengers received hate crime charges for harassing an interracial family on the train earlier this month. One of the perpetrators reportedly yelled ‘f*** foreigners’ and threatened the family. The perpetrators also reportedly attempted to throw a beer at the family. They turned themselves in to police on Wednesday.
SEE: Two LIRR riders face hate crime charges after verbal attack
https://nypost.com/2022/01/21/two-lirr-riders-face-hate-crime-charges-after-verbal-attack/
Don Trout, a town supervisor in the Seneca Co. town of Waterloo received backlash after posting a racist image on Facebook. The image lists 8 traits of a white supremacist, including “no criminal record,” “good credit rating,” and “full time employment.” The supervisor defended the post, calling it “political satire.”
SEE: Waterloo NY supervisor Don Trout under fire for racist Facebook post
In a statement, CAIR-New York Executive Director Afaf Nasher said:
“We welcome the arrest of the alleged perpetrators of the disturbing attack targeting an interracial family on an LIRR train. All New Yorkers must speak out against bigotry in all forms targeting minority communities.”
She also condemned Supervisor Trout’s racist post. “The underlying – and false – message of this racist post is that people of color are unemployed criminals, a common white supremacist trope that should be repudiated by all Americans,” said Nasher.
Nasher said the American Muslim community and CAIR stand in solidarity with all those challenging anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
SEE: CAIR Welcomes Arrest of New Hampshire White Supremacist Gang Founder
CAIR-Chicago Condemns Anti-Asian Incident at Sporting Event, Supports Lawmaker’s Call for Action After Other Anti-Asian Incident
CAIR-NJ Welcomes Sen. Edward Durr’s Resolution Condemning China’s Oppression of Uyghur Muslims, Calls on State House to Support
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La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, Esq. Executive Director, CAIR-NY, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com, Ahmed Mohamed, CAIR-NY Legal Director, 646-481-2103, ahmedmohamed@cair.com
