6-year-old's stabbing reinforces fears of anti-Muslim attacks in US
Prior to an attack on a Muslim boy in Illinois, officials warned that there had been a recent increase in anti-Muslim hate.
LEARN MOREPosted: 11:56 a.m. EDT Oct 23, 2023
Two people have been arrested after a gun was fired and Pro-Palestinian protesters were pepper sprayed outside a Pro-Israel rally in Illinois, sources say.
The incident happened Sunday night in the village of Skokie, which is 15 miles from downtown Chicago.
Organizers said about 1,000 people gathered at a banquet hall in support of Israel, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
At the same time, around 200 Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the hall. A man drove his car through that group, according to the Associated Press. He got out of the vehicle and fired a gun shot before being apprehended by police. Witnesses said the man's car was decorated with Israeli flags.
In a separate incident, a man emerged from inside the hall and used pepper spray on the protesters, according to local station Fox 32 Chicago. A police officer who was maced in the incident was treated for minor injuries, along with two others.
Police in the U.S. have been on high alert for violence motivated by antisemitism or Islamophobia amid Israel's war with terrorist group Hamas.
The incident comes a little over a week after an Illinois landlord was charged with a hate crime for the stabbing death of a 6-year-old Muslim boy. Police said the boy was targeted for his faith amid the war overseas.
