A Jewish man in Ventura County is dead following an altercation with pro-Palestine protesters at a street corner in Greater Los Angeles.
Paul Kessler, 69, succumbed to his injuries after hitting his head on the pavement during the encounter. Cellphone video captured two pro-Palestinian protesters continuing to chant on the bloodstained sidewalk as paramedics wheeled Kessler to a waiting ambulance.
Kessler died hours later. The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled his death a homicide. An investigation by law enforcement is underway, as Mediaite reports:
Reports say that officers were called to the intersection of Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards after receiving word of a “battery” that happened after tensions flared between the dueling protests. Kessler was reported to have been in an altercation with the pro-Palestinian demonstrators when he was injured, suffering blunt force trauma wounds.
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Investigations are focusing on accounts that during Kessler's altercation with a pro-Palestine protester, he was hit in the head with a megaphone. Footage from the incident was posted to social media as it showed Kessler lying on the ground while onlookers, including a pro-Palestine demonstrator, tried to attend to him.
“While we wait for more information from our law enforcement partners, we remind you that this is the fourth major antisemitic crime committed in Los Angeles this year alone,” said the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. “Violence against our people has no place in civilized society. We demand safety. We will not tolerate violence against our community. We will do everything in our power to prevent it.”
Kessler's death comes approximately one month after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas after the terror group's deadly attack against the country.
