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Ex-Obama adviser charged with hate crime over food cart rant (hexbear.net)

submitted 2 years ago by InevitableSwing@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

38 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Fucking excellent.

Ex-Obama adviser charged with hate crime over food cart rant

Former US diplomat Stuart Seldowitz has been arrested and is facing multiple charges after a video of him harassing a halal cart vendor in New York went viral.

The NYPD has charged Seldowitz with second-degree aggravated harassment, hate crime/stalking, stalking to cause fear, and stalking at place of employment, Documented reported. In the video, Seldowitz, who previously served as deputy director of the US Department of State’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, is seen telling a man selling food: “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, it wasn’t enough.”

- Al Jazeera

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[-] Ho_Chi_Chungus@hexbear.net 85 points 2 years ago

if i were a former obama advisor, i would simply not commit a hate crime while knowingly being filmed

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 21 points 2 years ago

I just wouldn't commit one at all, but maybe that standard is too high to US officials.

[-] usernamesaredifficul@hexbear.net 12 points 2 years ago

skill issue

[-] Evilphd666@hexbear.net 13 points 2 years ago

This is how they really are behind closed doors. More disgusting is obama-sad appointed this goul knowing how he is.

[-] thirtymilliondeadfish@hexbear.net 53 points 2 years ago

not in a position of power? Sure, reeducation, restorative justice.
Deputy director of the US Department of State’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs? A fucking brick.

[-] Wheaties@hexbear.net 46 points 2 years ago

the united states is quickly approaching British MP levels of embarrassing

[+] Cummunism@hexbear.net 45 points 2 years ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

[deleted]

[-] blobjim@hexbear.net 50 points 2 years ago

saw on twitter somewherer that they initially said there was nothing they could do because it was "free speech"

[-] DamarcusArt@lemmygrad.ml 23 points 2 years ago

That was before they knew someone was filming it I assume.

[-] BoxedFenders@hexbear.net 4 points 2 years ago

They wouldn't have done jack shit if the vendor filed a complaint without the video. And even then, it would be a low priority unless it went viral like this story has. Nothing lights a fire under a PD's ass like a social media frenzy.

[-] Fishroot@hexbear.net 14 points 2 years ago

pretty sure threatening to dox some person's relatives and subject them to torture is not ''free speech''

But then again, American version of Free Speech makes me more and more a fan of Hobbes and Rousseau

[-] barrbaric@hexbear.net 3 points 2 years ago

It's not clear, we must refer to the chart to find out whether this is hate speech: us-foreign-policy

[-] mar_k@hexbear.net 12 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

If it were the comments alone, he couldn't have been arrested, but he literally harassed and stalked the guy.

General calls for ethnic violence and genocide cannot be criminalized in the US though, because of Brandenburg v Ohio in 1969; landmark decision where KKK leader Clarence Brandenburg called for genocide of black and Jewish people. Ohio criminally charged him, then came SCOTUS ruling "Brandenburg's rights had been violated by Ohio's statue" and "abstract advocacy of violence cannot be punished". Before 1969 free speech actually wasn't as absolute, but this has been the precedent ever since

[-] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 4 points 2 years ago

what-the-hell

[-] Tankiedesantski@hexbear.net 9 points 2 years ago

That's allegedly how they responded when the Russian mission to the UN reported this same dude harassing their female staffers.

[-] GrouchyGrouse@hexbear.net 43 points 2 years ago

I bet he'll claim he's the real victim. Fuckin' bully asshole.

[-] Pili@hexbear.net 10 points 2 years ago

"They told me to act dumb for the camera!" saul-your-honor

[-] usernamesaredifficul@hexbear.net 8 points 2 years ago

your honor it was a prank

[-] Waldoz53@hexbear.net 3 points 2 years ago

i think he tried to apologize by using the classic i have muslim friends line

[-] BoxedFenders@hexbear.net 32 points 2 years ago

There's no way that someone who goes out of their way to harass a total stranger minding his own business with this sort of unhinged verbal assault hasn't done it previously countless times to others. He was just caught on video this time. I really hope others come out and shatter his whole world.

[-] Red_Sunshine_Over_Florida@hexbear.net 31 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Good riddance to him, a monster who delighted in the suffering of others.

[-] alcoholicorn@hexbear.net 29 points 2 years ago

How can you say this man hates Muslims when he advised one for 8 years?

[-] nohaybanda@hexbear.net 19 points 2 years ago

Watching the clips of him harassing the food cart dude was real adventure-time

[-] sammer510@hexbear.net 16 points 2 years ago

This man should be shot an dumped in a pit of quick lime unironically

[-] TankieTanuki@hexbear.net 15 points 2 years ago

He's been around for a while:

[-] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 14 points 2 years ago

Oh what can't a drunk fella harass a random muslim man in private anymore? FOLKS, this is why I hate cell phones. Now a gent can't launch into an Islamophobic rant without busy bodies filming him.