California: 20 pro-Hamas demonstrators assault a Hebrew-speaking man, cousin of a slain hostage

Image: Jihad Watch

Earlier this month, a disturbing incident unfolded at the Santa Monica Pier when a group of nearly 20 pro-Palestinian demonstrators allegedly assaulted a man for speaking Hebrew.

The victim, Ariel Yaakov Marciano, is the cousin of Guy Illouz, an Israeli hostage who was murdered in Gaza and whose body remains in the custody of Hamas. Marciano recounted his ordeal in an interview with Jewish Journal, a prominent Jewish community publication serving Greater Los Angeles.

Marciano explained that he was in Los Angeles to attend his cousin’s bar mitzvah when he encountered the demonstrators. He was wearing a Star of David necklace at the time and conversing in Hebrew with an Israeli visitor from Las Vegas whom he had just met. According to him, the demonstrators quickly realized they were Israeli Jews.

“At that point, they attacked me,” Marciano said. “One of them struck me on the back of the head, and I started bleeding. Others shoved me around and tore the Star of David off my neck. When I tried to push one of the masked assailants away, the entire group jumped on me.”

The situation worsened as Marciano attempted to make his way to the police station. He claimed that while shouting ‘God bless Israel’ on the way, one of the protesters pepper-sprayed him. He also described a particularly harrowing moment when a tall man “held a knife” to his chest and told him: “You’re lucky I’m not stabbing you.”

Despite the severity of the assault, Marciano expressed understanding toward the police, alleging that officers “didn’t do anything” because they were outnumbered. “There were too many demonstrators, and realistically, the police couldn’t do much against such a large group,” he said.

Marciano stressed that the attack would not deter him from openly embracing his Jewish identity. Having lost one cousin during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 massacre and another during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, he explained that concealing his faith or heritage is not an option for him.

In an unexpected turn of events, Marciano’s Star of David necklace—snatched during the scuffle—was later returned to him. He recounted that about three hours after the assault, while sitting in a restaurant, a Chinese man approached him and handed back the necklace.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)