Washington, D.C. | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) calls on federal and local law enforcement to bring hate crimes charges against Mordechai Brafman, the suspect responsible for shooting two tourists on Saturday evening in Miami Beach. When apprehended by law enforcement, Branfman indicated he was reportedly “hunting Palestinians.” This incident underscores the alarming escalation of violent rhetoric and actions targeting Arab and Palestinian communities across the United States.
Despite the victims not being Arab or Palestinian, hate crimes charges are still applicable in this case. Brafman’s admission that he mistook his victims for Palestinians confirms the hate-based motive behind this shooting. Shockingly, while the victims were, in fact, Israeli tourists, one of them exhibited disturbing anti-Arab animus by calling for “death to Arabs” even after being shot. These hateful sentiments—on both sides—are symptomatic of the pervasive anti-Palestinian rhetoric that has intensified since October 7.
The bias-motivated nature of the attack, not the ethnic or religious identity of the victims, is the driving factor that necessitates a hate crime designation. Sadly, the Miami Beach shooting is not an isolated event. It follows a troubling nationwide pattern of anti-Arab, Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian attacks, including the brutal stabbing and murder of six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadee AlFayoume in Illinois, and the shooting of three Palestinian-American college students in Vermont, resulting in one victim’s paralysis.
These reprehensible acts stem from a climate of hate cultivated by reckless, dehumanizing rhetoric and policies against Arabs and Palestinians. ADC calls on all people of conscience, government officials, and community leaders to stand firmly against anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bigotry.