According To New York Police, The Attacker Yelled “Kanye 2024” And Made Anti-Semitic Remarks Before Assaulting The 63-Year-Old Man.

The NYPD is looking for a man who allegedly yelled “Kanye 2024” and made antisemitic remarks before assaulting a 63-year-old man in Central Park earlier this month.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Twitter account said that the victim “suffered lacerations and a chipped tooth” after being attacked, and that “numerous anti-Jewish statements were made prior to the assault”. The victim was taken to the hospital and is now in stable condition.

NBC News has also confirmed with police that the attacker made the “Kanye 2024” remark, referring to Kanye West’s ostensible presidential campaign and his recent string of antisemitic comments.

West appeared on far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars earlier this month, praising Adolf Hitler, saying he “see[s] good things” about the Nazi dictator and denying the scope of the Holocaust. West’s Twitter account was suspended shortly after he tweeted an image of a swastika inside a Star of David.

West was suspended from social audio app Clubhouse after making further antisemitic comments in an interview with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes.

“Crimes like these have a ripple effect across communities and cause unique trauma on top of physical harm,” said Scott Richman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey, of the attack. “When public figures with large platforms fan the flames of antisemitism, people will imitate them and begin to believe it’s normal.”

It’s not the first time that West’s comments have appeared to have influenced an act of antisemitism. In October, a group hung a banner over a Los Angeles motorway that read, “Kanye is right about Jews,” and gave Nazi salutes. “It’s not just words,” lawyer and former Anti-Defamation League board member Sam Yebri said at the time. “There is unmistakably a link between white supremacy and neo-Nazi movements.”

StopAntisemitism named West “Antisemite of the Year” earlier this week. Speaking to TMZ, the group’s executive director Liora Rez said West had used his platform “to push dangerous antisemitic tropes about Jews” and that his comments had “resulted in horrific antisemitic acts”. Rez added that hatred towards Jewish people is “out of control in the United States” and that West was “add[ing] fuel to that fire”.

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