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Nearly two years have passed since a violent pro-Hamas demonstration erupted outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles. Now, the Trump-era Department of Justice is taking action where the Biden administration did not, holding individuals accountable for the chaos.
On Monday, the Justice Department revealed the arrest of Zaid Gitesatani, age 28, from Carlsbad, California. He faces federal hate crime charges for allegedly assaulting a Jewish man during the protests near the Pico-Robertson synagogue on June 23, 2024. If found guilty, Gitesatani could be sentenced to up to a decade in federal prison.
As reported by RedState at the time, the protests, spearheaded by groups such as the Palestinian Youth Movement and Code Pink, quickly escalated beyond a mere demonstration. Members of the synagogue, journalists, and passersby encountered violence, including being physically attacked and pepper-sprayed, while many media outlets offered minimal coverage.
The indictment outlines that Gitesatani was no accidental participant. He deliberately traveled to Los Angeles to join the protest, which was organized by several pro-Palestinian groups in opposition to a real estate event at Adas Torah that aimed to promote property sales in Israel. One group publicized the event as a rally to “stand against settler expansion.”
Chaos Unfolds at L.A. Synagogue as Pro-Hamas Demonstrators Clash with LAPD and Target Jews
Chaotic Scene Outside L.A. Synagogue As Pro-Hamas Assailants Attack Jews, Clash With LAPD
The victim, identified in charging documents only as “Victim A,” wasn’t even at the event. Prosecutors say he was walking his dog in his own neighborhood near the synagogue when Gitesatani crept up behind him and punched him in the jaw without warning, causing pain, redness, and swelling. Then Gitesatani slipped back into the crowd.Â
Then he went home and bragged about it on Instagram.
The indictment alleges Gitesatani posted the same day, sharing a screenshot of the attack alongside a photo of his bruised knuckles and the message: “Whooped the Zios today and we took their flag.”Â
He kept going. In private Instagram exchanges over the following days, prosecutors say he wrote:
“I whopped 2 zios.”
“I swung good on them.”
“It was satisfying.”
“I [sic] hand it [sic] numb from punching him so hard.”
Later, he posted a still image from the assault with the caption:
“The Chosen People sometimes need a good smack to wake up.”
There’s your “peaceful protester.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement:
“The defendant’s conduct, if proven, is a serious violation of the law — every American deserves to live without fear of violence based on who he is or how he worships. The Justice Department is committed to vigorously prosecuting such crimes of hate and violence.”Â
The grand jury returned the indictment on May 5, 2026. Gitesatani is expected to make his initial court appearance Monday in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Alexander and DOJ Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Erica O’Connell.Â
What Jewish Angelenos got from their own city government in June 2024 was nothing, for hours. Mayor Karen Bass finally issued a statement on X in the middle of the night, after the neighborhood had already been terrorized. The LAPD, according to multiple on-the-ground accounts, spent much of the afternoon forming a cordon that kept Jewish worshipers from entering their own synagogue while anti-Israel demonstrators owned the sidewalk out front. Noah Pollak, a political consultant who was there with his kids and was turned away by police, called it “an absolute disgrace.” He wasn’t wrong.
The violence happened on Biden’s watch. The accountability is happening on Trump’s. Some things are worth noting.
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