Ex-Obama adviser charged with hate crime over food cart rant

Former US diplomat Stuart Seldowitz has been arrested and is facing multiple charges after a video of him harassing a halal cart vendor in New York went viral.

The NYPD has charged Seldowitz with second-degree aggravated harassment, hate crime/stalking, stalking to cause fear, and stalking at place of employment, Documented reported. In the video, Seldowitz, who previously served as deputy director of the US Department of State’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, is seen telling a man selling food: “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, it wasn’t enough.”

- Al Jazeera

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[–] Ho_Chi_Chungus@hexbear.net 82 points 2 years ago (2 children)

if i were a former obama advisor, i would simply not commit a hate crime while knowingly being filmed

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 20 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I just wouldn't commit one at all, but maybe that standard is too high to US officials.

[–] usernamesaredifficul@hexbear.net 12 points 2 years ago

skill issue

[–] Evilphd666@hexbear.net 13 points 2 years ago

This is how they really are behind closed doors. More disgusting is obama-sad appointed this goul knowing how he is.

[–] Parsani@hexbear.net 57 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

served as deputy director of the US Department of State’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs

Lmfao, of course

[–] usernamesaredifficul@hexbear.net 13 points 2 years ago

which should in a just world be enough to get you charged with hate crimes alone

[–] barrbaric@hexbear.net 1 points 2 years ago

And here all the libs gave Trump shit over putting Kushner in charge. Turns out he was just another in a long line of extremely biased ghouls.

[–] thirtymilliondeadfish@hexbear.net 51 points 2 years ago

not in a position of power? Sure, reeducation, restorative justice.
Deputy director of the US Department of State’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs? A fucking brick.

[–] Wheaties@hexbear.net 44 points 2 years ago

the united states is quickly approaching British MP levels of embarrassing

[–] GrouchyGrouse@hexbear.net 42 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I bet he'll claim he's the real victim. Fuckin' bully asshole.

[–] Pili@hexbear.net 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

"They told me to act dumb for the camera!" saul-your-honor

[–] usernamesaredifficul@hexbear.net 8 points 2 years ago

your honor it was a prank

[–] Waldoz53@hexbear.net 3 points 2 years ago

i think he tried to apologize by using the classic i have muslim friends line

[–] Cummunism@hexbear.net 41 points 2 years ago (1 children)

rare NYPD W

[–] blobjim@hexbear.net 46 points 2 years ago (3 children)

saw on twitter somewherer that they initially said there was nothing they could do because it was "free speech"

[–] Fishroot@hexbear.net 13 points 2 years ago (1 children)

pretty sure threatening to dox some person's relatives and subject them to torture is not ''free speech''

But then again, American version of Free Speech makes me more and more a fan of Hobbes and Rousseau

[–] barrbaric@hexbear.net 3 points 2 years ago

It's not clear, we must refer to the chart to find out whether this is hate speech: us-foreign-policy

[–] mar_k@hexbear.net 12 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

If it were the comments alone, he couldn't have been arrested, but he literally harassed and stalked the guy.

General calls for ethnic violence and genocide cannot be criminalized in the US though, because of Brandenburg v Ohio in 1969; landmark decision where KKK leader Clarence Brandenburg called for genocide of black and Jewish people. Ohio criminally charged him, then came SCOTUS ruling "Brandenburg's rights had been violated by Ohio's statue" and "abstract advocacy of violence cannot be punished". Before 1969 free speech actually wasn't as absolute, but this has been the precedent ever since

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 4 points 2 years ago

what-the-hell

[–] Tankiedesantski@hexbear.net 9 points 2 years ago

That's allegedly how they responded when the Russian mission to the UN reported this same dude harassing their female staffers.

[–] BoxedFenders@hexbear.net 31 points 2 years ago (1 children)

There's no way that someone who goes out of their way to harass a total stranger minding his own business with this sort of unhinged verbal assault hasn't done it previously countless times to others. He was just caught on video this time. I really hope others come out and shatter his whole world.

[–] Red_Sunshine_Over_Florida@hexbear.net 29 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Good riddance to him, a monster who delighted in the suffering of others.

[–] alcoholicorn@hexbear.net 28 points 2 years ago

How can you say this man hates Muslims when he advised one for 8 years?

[–] nohaybanda@hexbear.net 18 points 2 years ago

Watching the clips of him harassing the food cart dude was real adventure-time

[–] TankieTanuki@hexbear.net 15 points 2 years ago

He's been around for a while:

[–] sammer510@hexbear.net 15 points 2 years ago

This man should be shot an dumped in a pit of quick lime unironically

[–] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 14 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Oh what can't a drunk fella harass a random muslim man in private anymore? FOLKS, this is why I hate cell phones. Now a gent can't launch into an Islamophobic rant without busy bodies filming him.

[–] corgiwithalaptop@hexbear.net 9 points 2 years ago

I THOUGHT THIS WAS AMERICA! WERE A FREE COUNTRY

[–] the_kid@hexbear.net 13 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

how insane is it that some random freak harassing a halal cart guy ended up being a formerly important government official?

[–] Tankiedesantski@hexbear.net 12 points 2 years ago

Given how many Muslims US government officials have murdered, I'm surprised more of them aren't caught on camera giving islamaphobic rants.

[–] ThomasMuentzner@hexbear.net 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

not a random freak , obamas adviser on foreign policy..

[–] BoxedFenders@hexbear.net 10 points 2 years ago

I love that the virality of this story is making the general public reassess Obama's foreign policy. Not that it was held in high regard anyway, but his failings here were overlooked even by his detractors (who tend to focus on his domestic policy).

[–] Civility@hexbear.net 11 points 2 years ago

😤

[–] Melina@hexbear.net 10 points 2 years ago

Imagine lifting this guy into the air and holding him at 30k feet by his feet

[–] Fishroot@hexbear.net 10 points 2 years ago

Tell Anthony Hopkin to lay down the alcohol

[–] AOCapitulator@hexbear.net 7 points 2 years ago

When your country has the death penalty but it’s not for freaks like this guy

[–] TraschcanOfIdeology@hexbear.net 7 points 2 years ago

MF looks like Jacques Pépin's evil twin.

[–] quarrk@hexbear.net 6 points 2 years ago

It wasn’t just one rant, he’s been harassing the vendor since November 8