A Jewish man who fell to the ground in an altercation during dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian street protests in California has passed away, Reuters reports.
Paul Kessler, 69, died of blunt force head trauma following the altercation on Sunday, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said.
No suspect has been taken into custody in what the sheriff’s office said “appears to be isolated and not part of a large effort,” though it had not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, without citing a source, said in a statement that pro-Palestinian protesters struck the victim on the head with a megaphone, describing it as an anti-semitic crime.
“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,” the federation said.
