CAIR-NY Condemns Racist Pepper Spray Assault on Asian-American Women in Manhattan, Welcomes Hate Crime Probe

Video still courtesy of WABC7

(NEW YORK, NY, 6/15/2022)—The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today condemned a reported pepper spray assault on a group of young Asian-American women by an older woman in Manhattan’s Chelsea district Saturday evening.   

According to the victims, the perpetrator approached the four friends and attempted to engage them in a verbal altercation by claiming that they were encroaching upon her personal space and “harassing” her. She then pulled out a pepper spray canister and proceeded to spray the victims in the eyes while telling them, “Go back to where you came from. You don’t belong here." 

SEE:   

• VIDEO: Stranger pepper-sprays four Asian women in Manhattan hate crime attack

• Asian women describe moment they were pepper sprayed by stranger in Manhattan

Afaf Nasher, executive director of CAIR-NY, said in a statement:

“CAIR-NY condemns this disgraceful, racist assault on these four Asian-American women. It is yet another painful reminder that our city, as diverse as it is, still harbors racists who believe that they have the right to attack Asian Americans or anyone else who doesn’t look like them. None of us is safe as long as such hatred continues to fester. We are relieved that the victims have recovered from the attack and commend them for documenting the incident. We urge the NYPD to find the perpetrator and charge her accordingly."

She added that CAIR-NY and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging white supremacy, anti-Jewish hate, anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and all other forms of bigotry.

CAIR-NY has condemned several other disturbing hate incidents in recent weeks:

SEE:

• CAIR-NY Condemns Assault, Robbery of Hispanic Man in Queens, Welcomes Hate Crime Probe

• CAIR-NY Condemns Racist Verbal Abuse Targeting Black Pastor in Newburgh

• CAIR-NY Welcomes Hate Crime Charges for Teens Who Allegedly Scrawled Anti-Black and Anti-Jewish Graffiti on Yorktown Bridge Underpass

• CAIR-NY Welcomes Hate Crime Indictment for Assault Targeting Jewish Man in Brooklyn

• CAIR-NY Condemns Islamophobic Verbal Assault on Man in Brooklyn

• CAIR-NY Condemns Racist Taunts by White Students Targeting Black Athletes, Calls on Rockland County to Take Action

CAIR-NY's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, Esq., CAIR-NY Executive Director, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com; Ahmed Mohamed, CAIR-NY Legal Director, 646-481-2103, ahmedmohamed@cair.com