21-05-2025
Pro-Palestinian Activists 'Mobbed, Beat' Filmmaker Holding US Flag: Lawsuit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A new lawsuit alleges that documentarian Ami Horowitz was "mobbed and beaten" by Palestinian supporters last year in New York while he was holding an American flag, as he told Newsweek on Wednesday that "antisemitic thugs" were typically not part of his social circle.
Why It Matters
Protests in the United States have remained ongoing following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, which killed some 1,200 people and saw about 250 taken hostage. Israel has resumed its offensive after a temporary ceasefire earlier this year, and it has so far killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, the Associated Press reported, citing Palestinian health officials.
What To Know
Horowitz, a documentarian and civil rights activist, filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, accusing members of pro-Palestinian groups including AJP Educational Foundation—conducting business as American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)—and National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) of orchestrating and inciting a violent attack against him at a protest encampment on April 26, 2024, at City College of New York (CUNY).
"Without AMP and NSJP's direction and support for NSJP's chapters and affiliates and their violent activities, there would have been no encampment at CUNY and there would have been no attack on Horowitz for holding an American flag," the 310-page lawsuit reads. "The attack on Horowitz was a direct result of AMP and NSJP's systematic command and control over NSJP's network of chapters and affiliates and use of them to violently shut down campuses and attack their perceived enemies.
"AMP and NSJP are thus liable for causing and supporting the attack on Horowitz and must compensate him for his harm accordingly."
Newsweek reached out to AMP and NSJP for comment on Wednesday.
Faculty, staff and students of George Washington University who had gathered at a pro-Palestinian encampment last year march to the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 8.
Faculty, staff and students of George Washington University who had gathered at a pro-Palestinian encampment last year march to the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 8.
ANDREW THOMAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
"The group had no idea who I was," Horowitz, who is Jewish, told Newsweek on Wednesday. "First of all, antisemitic thugs are generally not part of my demographic, and secondly there were literally only seconds between when I entered the encampment and when the attack began.
"They didn't react to me; they reacted to the American flag."
He said that when he went to the hospital after the incident, a doctor noted severe bruising to his kidney and spleen—which the physician purportedly remarked was a literal and figurative mark of a professional in violence.
"Both of those areas of my body showed repeated blows and are incredibly vulnerable areas that could have led to death," Horowitz said. "I had deep bruising across my arms and torso."
Asked if he, due to his background, was present at CUNY as part of an anti-Palestinian agenda, Horowitz said his actions that day were meant to convey the opposite.
"I certainly was not there to silence them. ... I wanted them to voice their views of the United States," he said. "I was looking for them to express their perspective, whatever that might be, for the world to see. My job is to give voice and make clear the views of my subject, never to silence them."
What People Are Saying
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, following recent protests at Columbia University that officers were "entering the campus to remove individuals who are trespassing. We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, wrote on X: "Everyone has the right to peacefully protest. But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable."
What Happens Next
Horowitz is seeking a jury trial for those accused of aiding and abetting assault and battery, and of participating in a civil conspiracy to commit assault and battery. He requests a judgment in his favor that would award him compensatory, consequential and punitive damages.
