A journalist was arrested after filming the vandalism of the houses of the Brooklyn Museum‘s leaders this previous June.
Samuel Seligson, an unbiased videographer, was charged with two counts of legal mischief with a hate crime development. Prison mischief with a hate crime development is a felony.
He was not concerned within the vandalism of director Anne Pasternak’s house in Brooklyn Heights, the place pink paint was splashed throughout the entrance door and home windows. A banner was hung between two columns that learn: “Anne Pasternak / Brooklyn Museum / White Supremacist Zionist.” Beneath that assertion, in smaller, pink letters, have been the phrases “Funds Genocide.”
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The vandalism additionally focused the residences of a number of Brooklyn Museum board trustees, producing allegations of antisemitism, together with from New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams. Pasternak is Jewish, although the opposite three board members who have been focused are usually not, in accordance with the New York Occasions.
The vandalism occurred round two weeks after a big pro-Palestine march resulted in entrance of the museum. At that demonstration, cultural staff, artists, and New York Metropolis neighborhood contained in the establishment additionally brandished banners, beat drums, and blew whistles. The protestors contained in the Brooklyn Museum referred to as for the establishment to sentence the killing of Palestinians in Gaza and to divest from its monetary ties to Israel.
Greater than 30 folks have been arrested throughout the protest on the Brooklyn Museum, main some, together with the establishment itself, to accuse the New York Police Division of brutality.
Seligson’s legal professional, Leena Widdi, informed the Related Press that NYPD officers raided Seligson’s Brooklyn residence on two events up to now week. Widdi additionally described Seligson’s arrest and the usage of a hate crime statute as an “appalling” overreach by NYPD towards her shopper, who holds a city-issued press credential.
The Related Press reported that Seligson has licensed and offered footage of protests in New York Metropolis to mainstream shops, together with Reuters and ABC Information. Nonetheless, police sources informed amNewYork Metro that Seligson allegedly served because the lookout within the sequence of vandalism incidents and claimed that he was not seen in possession of any digital camera tools.
Seligson turned himself into the seventh Precinct station on the Decrease East Aspect at round 7:30 a.m. on August 6, in accordance with amNY.
He additionally informed the US Press Freedom Tracker that he was arrested by NYPD in Could and charged with three counts of obstruction whereas livestreaming a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Brooklyn on the video platform Twitch. Seligson stated he recognized himself as a journalist and filmed the police making arrests.
A spokesperson for the workplace of Brooklyn district legal professional Eric Gonzalez informed the Related Press that the case had been closed and sealed.