Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D) engineered a unique and creative means of grabbing the attention of French officials after he projected images of Sarah Halimi — a Jewish Frenchwoman murdered by a Muslim — on the building of the French Consulate, in addition to expressions in support of justice.
Hikind appeared outside the French Consulate in New York on Saturday night in order to continue the “demand for justice” for Halimi in the face of a decision by French courts not to try her murderer — who was shouting “Allahu Akbar” [the ubiquitous battle cry of Islamic jihadists] at the time — due to his being under the influence of marijuana.
My wife and I went to the French Consulate last night to project images of Sarah Halimi onto their building so even if they ignore our cries, they cannot evade responsibility or shame for perpetuating injustice!
We won't stop until justice is secured!#justicepourSarahHalimi pic.twitter.com/NmxOJdBY5x
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) April 25, 2021
“We want to make sure that her murderer, the person who butchered her in Paris, that that person never walks the streets of this world,” Hikind said. “There must be justice and what happened to Sarah Halimi affects all of us.”
The initiative to project images of Sarah Halimi on the consulate, according to Hikind, was so that “even if they ignore our cries, they cannot evade responsibility or shame for perpetuating injustice!”
Hikind also reiterated that there would be no rest until Halimi obtains justice.
“We will continue the fight, we will continue the battles,” he said, “Because Sarah Halimi is everyone.”
“Every civilized person in the world is Sarah Halimi, and the French government and the French people must get justice for Sarah Halimi and make sure this never, ever, ever happens again to any person anywhere,” he added.
Hikind’s wife, Shoshana, who joined him in the demonstration, said a message has to be relayed to the world that Halimi’s murderer cannot go free, because it will merely “set an example” for others.
Halimi was an “innocent woman,” she said, and “innocent lives cannot be taken ever, ever in this fashion.”
“Something must be done for this killer,” she added.
Rallies demanding justice for Halimi were held around the globe Sunday, including in major cities such as Washington DC, London, Paris, Toronto, Los Angeles, Tel Aviv, Miami, Brussels, and Rome.
Toronto car rally – despite harsh lockdown measures, over 100 cars showed up demanding #JusticeForSarahHalimi pic.twitter.com/cS4OUvVVF1
— StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites) April 25, 2021
In 2017, 27-year-old Kobili Traoré, a Muslim, violently beat Halimi, who was his 65-year-old Jewish neighbor, while shouting “Allahu Akbar.” He then pushed her out of her third-floor window. In 2019, a lower court ruled that Traoré was not responsible for Halimi’s death due to being under the influence of cannabis at the time.
The Court of Cassation, France’s supreme court of appeal, upheld the decision two weeks ago, leading to protests around the world.
Last week, a protest organized by Hikind drew over a hundred protestors who gathered outside the French Consulate in New York City to express outrage over the French court’s decision. Former New York Governor David Paterson and 2021 New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa were also in attendance.
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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