Anti-Israel Activist Sentenced to 17 Months for Antisemitic Attacks Despite Massive Campaign for Leniency

NEW YORK — A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced 20-year-old Tarek Bazrouk to 17 months in prison for a string of antisemitic assaults committed during anti-Israel protests in New York City, rejecting an unprecedented campaign by his supporters that included a 250-page letter with more than 11,000 signatures urging leniency.

Bazrouk, a Palestinian-born activist, pleaded guilty in June to hate-crime charges after admitting he targeted multiple Jewish individuals because of their faith or Israeli identity during protests in 2024 and early 2025. Each of the victims, prosecutors said, was visibly Jewish—wearing kippahs, Stars of David, or Israeli flags.

📣🇵🇸TAKE ACTION: SIGN Tarek’s mitigation letter before his sentencing TOMORROW and share WIDELY with everyone you know. Let’s get one more push to uplift the call for time served & show his judge the outpouring of community behind him! https://t.co/7jFJpPrqMu https://t.co/9YWjg2jvYn

— Within Our Lifetime (@WOLPalestine) October 27, 2025

Despite his violent record, Bazrouk has been embraced as a “political prisoner” by anti-Israel organizations nationwide. Groups including National Students for Justice in Palestine, the Palestinian Youth Movement, Within Our Lifetime, and Columbia University Apartheid Divest mobilized thousands to sign the letter calling him a “beloved member of the New York City community.”

The letter, submitted to the court last week, argued that Bazrouk had suffered “deep personal trauma” and should be released for time served after six months behind bars. “Restorative justice,” it said, “will be achieved through Tarek’s personal growth — not through a prison sentence.”

Prosecutors, however, detailed a disturbing pattern of antisemitic violence. In one case outside the New York Stock Exchange, Bazrouk—wearing a Hamas headband—kicked a Jewish college student after a scuffle with pro-Israel demonstrators. Months later, near Columbia University, he ripped an Israeli flag from two Jewish brothers and punched one in the face. In another incident, he broke a Jewish protester’s nose after shouting slurs.

Federal investigators said Bazrouk’s phone and social media accounts contained virulent antisemitic and pro-terrorist content, including praise for Hamas and Hezbollah figures Yahya Sinwar and Hassan Nasrallah. He described himself in messages as a “Jew hater,” wrote “Allah get us rid of them,” and even posted the name of a Jewish child’s school with the caption “get him.”

Authorities also found $750,000 in unexplained cash, several knives, and a realistic airsoft gun in his apartment. He forfeited the money as part of his plea deal.

In court, Bazrouk said he regretted his actions, telling the judge, “I wish I could go back and redo those moments… I would resort to talking and finding ways to make peace.”

Bazrouk had faced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. His 17-month sentence follows mounting concerns over rising antisemitic violence in New York, where Jews remain the most frequently targeted victims of hate crimes.