Murdered for being Jewish: Last photo of LA man beaten to death by pro-Palestinian protester

Photo snapped minutes before fatal assault shows Paul Kessler, 69, holding an Israeli flag as antisemitism surges worldwide
rklrDjmQh_0_0_200_200_0_medium
Daniel Edelson, New York|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
live

Pro-Israel protester Paul Kessler lying on the ground after being attacked by a pro-Palestine protester

Minutes before he was beaten to death by a pro-Palestinian protester, a photo of Paul Kessler was taken showing him holding an Israeli flag during a pro-Israel rally in Westlake Village, Los Angeles.
Follow Ynetnews on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok >>
Read more:
Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man from Thousand Oaks, California, was assaulted by a pro-Palestinian protester with a megaphone during pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrations that took place simultaneously.
2 View gallery
התמונה האחרונה של פול קסלר, שהוכה למוות במגפון על-ידי מפגין פרו פלסטיני
התמונה האחרונה של פול קסלר, שהוכה למוות במגפון על-ידי מפגין פרו פלסטיני
Last photo of Paul Kessler, taken minutes before he was fatally beaten by a pro-Palestinian protester
According to witnesses at the scene, a verbal altercation broke out between an older Jewish man and a pro-Palestinian protester. Suddenly, the protester struck the older man on the head with a megaphone he was holding.
The injured man fell to the ground bleeding and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead the next day due to a fatal brain hemorrhage.
According to an autopsy, the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be blunt force head injury and the manner of death homicide.
Israelis who were present at the scene described it as "a terrifying sight" and expressed shock that such an incident took place in their neighborhood.
The incident was filmed on the victim's cellphone which has been seized by local police as evidence in their investigation into the incident. While the police have confirmed the case was being looked into, they haven't provided any further details at this time, including whether the suspect has been arrested.
2 View gallery
החשוד בתקיפה של פול קסלר
החשוד בתקיפה של פול קסלר
Suspected attacker of Paul Kessler
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance from the public in locating the suspect.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles said that the local Jewish community is ״devastated to learn of the tragic death of an elderly Jewish man who was struck in the head by a megaphone wielded by a pro-Palestinian protestor in Westlake Village. Our hearts are with the family of the victim. 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. 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.״
4Comments
add comment
The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
1.
No more police and no more justice system
The articles I read says there was a “pro-Palestinian” and “pro-israel” rally next to each other and when mr Kessler was killed, “deputies were called to the scene” by people calling 911. Evidently, the police have been defunded and neutered since it is insane that there was not a single policeman there at the protests. Even after the fact things are very weird. I saw somewhere that they finally arrested the killer, but no name and no charges that I saw. Too bad we’re Jews not African Americans. Could you imagine what would happen to LA if they tried to pull that off with them?
David| 11.07.23
00
add comment
The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
Arabs rejected it, you got it backwards
01.31.24
00
add comment
The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
Palestinians land Jews
Why Jewish life matters but African Americans and Palestinians life doesn't matter. If Israel wants peace why reject 2 state solutions. Why Jewish settlement on Palestinians land killing Palestinians. The OCCUPATION is the root cause of this war
Isaac | 11.08.23
14
add comment
The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
Load more talkbacks
""