‘Our detectives are actively investigating this incident to ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions,’ said Police Chief Mike Lamb.
By Peter Reitzes, The Algemeiner
Police in Asheville, North Carolina, have made one arrest and shared photos of nine people of interest since two Jewish residents and a senior citizen were beaten and dragged out of the West Asheville Library during an anti-Israel event on June 29.
The three victims are pro-Israel. The event — which was labeled an “Anarchist Bookfair” — attracted about 60-80 anti-Israel activists.
The two Jewish victims, David Moritz and Monica Buckley, along with 79-year-old Bob Campbell, were interviewed by The Algemeiner.
Moritz posted on social media, “All three of us have met separately at police HQ to go over footage of the attack from the library cameras in order to identify the violent perpetrators.”
Moritz, the son of Holocaust survivors, told The Algemeiner that the police are “working the case hard.” He continued, “We are happy that the police are taking this seriously and have escalated this to the Major Crimes Division.”
The police confirmed to The Algemeiner that “the Major Case Unit is handling this investigation.”
The June 29 event, “Strategic Lessons From the Palestinian Resistance,” was hosted by Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair at the public library, and was one of multiple anti-Israel sessions that took place during the three-day anarchist book fair.
The event glorified Hamas’ massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terrorist group killed 1,200 people and kidnapped approximately 250 hostages.
In a statement, Police Chief Mike Lamb said, “We at the APD [Asheville Police Department] remain steadfast in our commitment to reducing all acts of violence in our community, particularly those targeting vulnerable groups like our Jewish community. Our detectives are actively investigating this incident to ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”
Lamb continued, “We are working alongside the District Attorney’s Office and we appreciate the information that members of our community have provided thus far to help identify the offenders.”
The city’s mayor, Esther Manheimer, issued a statement: “The members of the Asheville community deserve the right to enter any community spaces with a feeling of security. We will not tolerate violence, either against or carried out in our community. Asheville is a city that has thrived and honored the diversity of all its residents. We will continue to do so and not be cowed by individuals resorting to violence.”
As reported by The Algemeiner, Mortiz, Buckley, and Campbell were quietly seated along a far wall at the library on June 29, when a presenter stopped the event to express concerns that it was being live streamed by “Zionists.” Buckley was streaming the public event.
The presenter drew everyone’s attention to the three pro-Israel attendees and asked the other, mostly masked attendees how to deal with the “Zionists” in the audience. The presenter joked about the possibility of a “murder here.”
The pro-Israel attendees were told to leave with multiple people yelling out “bye.” One attendee said, “They are not f—king welcome here,” and another was heard saying, “I don’t trust them.”
A video that was circulated on social media shows that Moritz, Buckley, and Campbell were then surrounded by large men who were chanting “Free Palestine” and clapping their hands directly in the victims’ faces. Buckley’s phone was then stolen.
Buckley told The Algemeiner that when she attempted to retrieve her phone, she came under mob attack, as did Moritz and Campbell.
All three reported being attacked and violently dragged out of the public library. Some of this is visible on the video footage.
Campbell, a 79-year-old veteran with cancer and a heart stent, was badly beaten with large bruises clearly visible on his body. Local police encouraged Campbell to see a doctor, who found he had “severe contusions.”
Campbell told The Algemeiner that when he was on the ground being assaulted by a large man, a librarian made eye contact with him and “didn’t do a damn thing. Didn’t call the police.”
During the assault, Campbell’s phone was also taken. Both phones were later found nearby.
Mortiz left the event with a huge welt clearly visible on his forehead.
In a social media statement made after the attacks, Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair called Buckley and Moritz “fascists” and “white supremacists,” and blamed them for provoking a “brawl.”
Buckley believes that the statement did not mention Campbell because the anarchists likely think they can defend the beatings of two Jews, but not the beating of a senior citizen with cancer.
In the statement’s comments section, a supporter of the anarchists chastised the book fair: “We look like the bad guys and the cops are hunting anarchists. That’s sloppy work on our part and we should know better. I hope we do better in the future.”
North Carolina Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein posted on X/Twitter: “Antisemitism like what apparently just happened in Asheville is unacceptable in any form. We have to make our state a place that is welcoming to people of all faiths and backgrounds.”
Moritz told The Algemeiner that, so far, “the only politician that has reached out to the three victims is Democratic Congress[ional] candidate Caleb Rudow.” Rudow currently represents western North Carolina in the state’s General Assembly, which includes Asheville.
Moritz reported telling Rudow, “We need a press conference at the library with every politician that believes this behavior is unacceptable.”
Buckley agreed that officials in public office should be speaking out.
“Every politician who believes in peace, law and order, and democracy in America needs to stand with us and publicly condemn this horrific act of violence and hate,” Buckley told The Algemeiner.
The Algemeiner has reached out to Rudow, Stein, and the North Carolina Department of Justice for comment.
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