A self-proclaimed “Jew hater” with alleged Hamas ties has been indicted for hate crimes near Columbia University, raising alarms about radical extremism infiltrating U.S. protests.
Tarek Bazrouk, a 20-year-old New Yorker, faces federal charges for three violent attacks on Jewish individuals in 2024 and 2025, despite having no affiliation with Columbia University, as the New York Post reports. His cellphone revealed pro-Hamas propaganda, including images of terror leaders and a meme glorifying the al-Qassam Brigades. This isn’t just youthful rebellion—it’s a chilling glimpse into ideological rot.
In April 2024, Bazrouk allegedly assaulted three Jewish people at a Gaza war protest outside the New York Stock Exchange, kicking a college student while being arrested. He texted a friend about lighting a flare and contemplating setting someone on fire but refrained due to the crowd. Such restraint hardly qualifies as a moral victory.
Bazrouk’s aggression continued on Dec. 9, 2024, when he allegedly punched Jewish Columbia student Jonathan Lederer in the face after stealing his brother’s flag. He ranted about Hitler and Nazis during the attack, exposing a venomous hatred that defies civilized discourse. Columbia, quick to distance itself, condemned the “horrifying” violence.
“To be clear, this individual is not affiliated with our University in any way,” Columbia stated, as if that erases the chaos engulfing their campus. Anti-Israel protests, egged on by what NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban called “professional outside agitators,” have turned academia into a battleground. Bazrouk’s presence near these protests suggests a darker agenda.
On Jan. 6 of this year, Bazrouk allegedly struck again, punching a protester draped in an Israeli flag near Union Square while masking his face with a keffiyeh. His green headband, often linked to Hamas, and text messages boasting of family ties to the terror group paint a damning picture. This isn’t free speech -- it’s targeted terror.
Federal agents uncovered a trove of extremism on Bazrouk’s phone, including a photo of Yahya Sinwar, the late al-Qassam Brigades founder, and an al-Qassam meme praising violence. He was part of a chat group receiving updates from Hamas’ official spokesperson, Abu Obeida. That’s not activism; it’s a direct line to a terrorist organization.
Bazrouk’s defense attorney, Andrew Dalack, denies any Hamas connection, but the evidence begs to differ. Text messages reveal Bazrouk calling Jews “worthless” and urging “Allah” to “get us rid of” them. Such rhetoric isn’t just offensive—it’s a call to action that progressive apologists too often ignore.
“By God, I would not trade the Al Qassam Brigades for the world,” read a meme on Bazrouk’s phone, glorifying violence. This isn’t a lone wolf; it’s a symptom of a broader radicalization, Oren Segal of the Anti-Defamation League warns is seeping into U.S. protests. The woke crowd’s silence on this is deafening.
Bazrouk’s Manhattan home, searched by federal agents, yielded a replica firearm, brass knuckles, knives, and $750,000 in cash stashed in a safe. His December 2024 arrest in Connecticut for running a drug operation at a Hartford smoke shop added charges of possessing and intending to sell $25,000 worth of marijuana products. This is no misguided kid -- he’s a walking red flag.
Arrested near Columbia’s campus in December 2024, Bazrouk has been jailed since May 7, and he is now facing up to 30 years if convicted on three hate crime charges. Each charge carries a 10-year maximum, a stark reminder that actions have consequences. Yet the left’s obsession with “context” risks downplaying this threat.
Bazrouk’s three-week trip to the West Bank and Jordan in September and October 2024 raises questions about his activities abroad. Was he sightseeing or networking with extremists? The DOJ’s silence on this detail is frustrating but telling.
Columbia’s campus was a hotbed of anti-Israel protests in 2024, culminating in an illegal building takeover that forced NYPD intervention in April. Hamas taunted Israeli hostages like Shlomi Ziv with images of these protests, claiming operatives were active on U.S. campuses. A lawsuit alleges several groups acted as Hamas’ “foot soldiers” in New York—a charge that hits close to home.
“Professional outside agitators,” per NYPD’s Caban, fueled Columbia’s unrest, and Bazrouk’s actions fit the mold. His text about wanting to “boom boom” Jewish people reveals a mindset warped by hate, not politics. Excusing this as “protest fervor” is a cop-out.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton noted Bazrouk “remained undeterred” in targeting Jews, a persistence that mocks the left’s narrative of peaceful dissent. As Segal warns, Hamas and Hezbollah symbols at U.S. protests signal a dangerous trend. It’s time to stop coddling this hate and call it what it is: extremism.
