[ April 25, 2024 ]
Imagine anti-Muslim protests outside a mosque every week during Friday prayers for years. Imagine how the media would club us about the head with it. But you’ve never heard of this.
Federal Lawsuit Filed Against Anti-Israel Protesters at Michigan Synagogue
By JNS News Service, December 26, 20190
Story continues below advertisementA member of Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor, Mich., is suing anti-Israel protesters and city leaders over weekly demonstrations outside the synagogue. The weekly Saturday anti-Israel protests have been going on for years.
The 85-page complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Michigan.
“The First Amendment right of free speech does not entitle a speaker to use that right repeatedly to bludgeon, for weeks and years at a time, in the same location,” stated the lawsuit. “The First Amendment … is subject to appropriate limitations on its continued and repeated usage.”
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Beth Israel Congregation member Marvin Gerber, claims that the demonstrations violate Ann Arbor ordinances and calls for restrictions on what it deems “harassing conduct.”
It also sought unspecified retribution for emotional distress.
“The conduct of the protesters is having an adverse emotional effect on Jewish children and young adults who, approaching the synagogue, see the signs/placards insulting their religion and denouncing their loyalty to Israel,” stated the lawsuit.
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor, protester Henry Herskovitz and his two organizations—Jewish Witnesses for Peace, and Palestinian Friends and Deir Yassin Remembered—are listed as defendants.
Deir Yassin Remembered has been labeled as a Holocaust-denying group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Herskovitz said his organization seeks to hold those in the synagogue accountable for supporting Israel.
While Taylor and other city officials have criticized the protests and want them to cease, they’ve noted they’re unable to stop them because of the First Amendment, reported MLive.com.
“The city has worked with synagogue leadership and congregants for years on this issue,” said Taylor. “I recognize the pain caused by the protesters, and it’s disgusting. We believe we’ve acted in accordance with our legal obligations.”
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27 Comments4 years agoAnother continuing sign of what the Jewish people face daily from this world of overt anti-Semitism that seems to be getting worse. Though I believe that nothing can come of this lawsuit, as the Constitution protects the right to protest and free speech, I respectfully believe that by involving our legal system begins a process which I have long urged is overdue. Before this country becomes what Europe has become (actively anti-Semitic) after allowing the immigration of the Islamic’s, I have proposed that the only way to begin any process that attempts to end the hate and violence towards any group is to begin taking them before the courts when they are out there promoting and triggering by their rhetoric violence.
These inane people will find that their hate will become costly. Free protest and speech nowhere approves and sanctions protest or speech that tends to promote violence; therefore, I believe that if the prosecutors want to save this country from what is going on in Europe, they must use our legal system, even though they will always face the Constitutional rights defense; yet, doing so will cause those vile speakers to maybe stop their unmeritorious and potentially dangerous conduct that is based only on unmitigated and irrational hate, rather than conclusive facts.4 years agoIf only you could talk to these protesters and convince them of their errors, but we don’t live in a fairy tale world.
4 years agoReply to Bradley LexvoldTheir “error” is contained in the Qur’an which teaches them to hate Jews. Why? Because Mohammad did and being the mindless, unthinking, sheep they are, they follow what disgusting Mohammad instructed.
4 years agoIt is about time someone stood up to these nasty immature anti-American anti-Israel, UNGODLY protestors who really don’t know WHY they hate anyone except that someone TOLD THEM TO.
HATRED COMES FROM SATAN, nasty little children, not GOD. God gives you the right to love or hate, but there will always be consequences when you HATE.
FEDERAL HATE CRIME LAWS are exactly for this!
4 years agoThe one thing that the Extreme Left, Extreme Right, and Islamists can agree on is their hatred of Jews, that is where they all meet in the middle of intersectional politics. Good to see this lawsuit, and though unlikely I hope they win on grounds of this being hate speech and incitement.
4 years agoReply to Nefarious420No such thing as hate speech in the USA. The members of the temple should counter protest and invest in baseball equipment.
4 years agoReply to Nefarious420No such thing as “islamists”, it’s a made up word that like islamofauxbia was “invented by fascists and used by cowards to manipulate morons.” The only question is what category you fit into.
4 years agoReply to MuhamMUDTheFakeProphetIslamist is just another term for Muslim, Muhammadan, Mahommedan, Mahomedan or Mahometan. They are very interchangeable. Islamists is used by those muslims seeking a more “extreme” Islam, like Islam isn’t extreme enough by just being Islam.
4 years agoReply to Nefarious420But you’re wrong because there is no “extreme” islam it’s all obscene and extreme. There is no reformed islam, no protestant islam. No imam, no ayatrollah, no mullah, no mosque, no islamic state, no muslum NGO self-identifies as “islamist” because the word is a LIE designed to obfuscate the fact islum is fundamentally fascist, Jew hating, vile, violent and totalitarian.
Thanks for playing though…4 years agoReply to MuhamMUDTheFakeProphetGuess your computer or eyes didn’t see the quotes I put in their, as well as my saying
seeking a more “extreme” Islam, like Islam isn’t extreme enough by just being Islam.
Reading Is Fundamental, try it some time.
4 years agoReply to Nefarious420You still promulgated the lie that is the neologism islamist. It’s as ludicrous an appellation as nazist.
4 years agoReply to MuhamMUDTheFakeProphetNo, i was and am mocking the term, no matter what they choose to call themselves they are still just muslims following a pedophile prophet and followers who murdered, raped, enslaved, and robbed on their way to taking over 1/2 the globe.
4 years agoReply to Nefarious420No such thing as “islamists”, it’s a made up word that like islamofauxbia was “invented by fascists and used by cowards to manipulate morons.” The only question is what category you fit into.
4 years agoDon’t worry, the great Federation leaders will solve this, just as soon as they finish with more important issues like transgender bathrooms and fasting for the Naqba/ ( barf)
4 years agoIn a situation like this, the only thing more powerful than the First Amendment is a baseball bat.
Have any of the congregation’s members counter-protested in front of the homes and businesses of these scumbags. I’m betting no. From my personal experience, most people do not want their undesirable behavior exposed to customers and clients. Public shaming can be just as effective as a crushed skull and 100% legal.
Only Jews would fight fire with a legal injunction. Now that’s what I call getting nasty!
4 years agoReply to WorsethanitlooksWhat a dumb comment! Are you talking about the instigating the violence in the center of the city? Yes, Jews fight fire with a legal “injunction”, because if they’ll come out with a baseball bats, they will be arrested and jailed, not the antisemitic “protesters”. Use your common sense if you have one.
4 years agoReply to tatka150I visit Ann Arbor at least once a year. For the last 7-8 yrs this once beautiful cozy University of Michigan city turned to the dumpster. It’s dirty and ugly, overcrowded with the constant “protesters” around UofM. It should be stopped yesterday. The city mayor should be fired for allowing such a disgusting behavior and letting the city going down the tubes. Shame!
4 years agoReply to tatka150You are so full of it. These are are your own words from previous comment:
I think we need our own Meir Kahane here and the teams of the self-defense in New York and another Democrate infested cities, including my Chicago.
WTF do you think the JDL and the Meir Kahane did to fight anti-semitism in New York back then? I assure you it wasn’t filing legal injunctions.The point I was trying to make about American Jews is that they rely too much upon the rule of law, at the expense of teaching their children to defend themselves.
4 years agoReply to Worsethanitlooks“In a situation like this, the only thing more powerful than the First Amendment is a baseball bat.”
I WOULD RE-WORD THAT TO:
In a situation like this, the only thing more powerful than the First Amendment is the 2ND AMENDMENT, BUT that should NEVER be the 1st step you take…..NEVER EVER EVER, fool.
4 years agoIf this was done by to a mosque the press would be all over it and some sort of bylaw passed preventing it. How dare the Jews interfere with Friday prayers of the poor misunderstood and peaceful muslims!
4 years agoReply to stephen5970Yes, the same Muslims who begin their Friday congregation with the imam’s prayer that asks Allah to help the Muslim defeat the ‘kafir’/’kufar’ i.e. heathen or infidel. It is hate speech – which much of the Qur’an also is and for this reason should be banned all over the Western world.
If this were done to a mosque all manner of violence would break out.4 years agowhat unbelievable patience the people have displayed!! May they get relief from this emotional terror.
4 years agoThis appears to be an expertly drafted lawsuit and may well survive a motion to dismiss. If that hurdle is overcome, then discovery will proceed to discover the true sponsors and motivation of this harassment and expose them to the public who in turn can take appropriate action.
4 years agoReply to John AcordThat would be GEORGE SOROS AND THE DEMOCRATIC COMMUNIST PARTY.
I have always said, for about 15 years now, that Conservatives need to use SAUL ALINSKY tactics back on liberals, Democrats, and foolish people. MAYBE THIS WILL GET THEIR ATTENTION. Then again, maybe they are just too stupid to stop being stupid.
I HOPE THE LAWSUIT AGAINST THESE Anti-Israel Protesters AKA haters of GOD and anything GODLY, WINS!
TRUMP/PENCE 2020
PENCE/TRUMP 20244 years agoReply to TomSJrIts a good opportunity to discover who is sponsoring, funding these protests over many years.
