A California court sentenced Louis Abel Fattah Al-Naji (53) to one year in prison and two years probation for the manslaughter of Jewish protester Paul Kessler (69) during dueling demonstrations in November 2023, according to Israel Hayom. Jewish groups criticized the sentence as too lenient, saying it signals violence against Jews is tolerated.
The sentencing, handed down at a California courthouse, concludes a case that drew national attention amid a surge in antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Al-Naji struck Kessler with a megaphone during dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests in Thousand Oaks, near Los Angeles, on November 5, 2023; Kessler fell and died of a head injury the next day. Al-Naji initially faced a murder charge but pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Jewish advocacy groups, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League, condemned the one-year term as disproportionately lenient. As The Zioneer reported earlier today, the sentence was issued Wednesday, July 1, amid ongoing debate over judicial responses to anti-Jewish violence in the United States.
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Source and signal
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