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Muslim Woman Attacked By Men Screaming 'Donald Trump' Says No One Intervened
By
Gaby Del Valle
Published Dec 3, 2016
Modified Dec 14, 2016
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By
Gaby Del Valle
Published Dec 3, 2016
Modified Dec 14, 2016
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No one intervened when three drunk men allegedly harassed a Muslim woman, called her a terrorist, and tried to remove her hijab, the assaulted woman said on Friday. [Update, December 14, 2016: Her story appears to be a hoax; police have now charged her with making up the account.]
"I was harassed on the subway last night and it was just so dehumanizing I can't speak about it without getting emotional," 18-year-old Yasmin Seweid wrote on Facebook. "It breaks my heart that so many individuals chose to be bystanders while watching me get harassed verbally and physically by these disgusting pigs."
According to police, the incident occurred around 10 p.m. on Wednesday while Seweid was waiting for an uptown-bound 6th train at the 23rd Street station. Three men, believed to be around 21 years old, approached her and started screaming Trump's name at her. The three men also followed her on to the train, where they began to scream xenophobic insults at her.
The men allegedly called her a "fucking terrorist" and told her to "get the hell out of the country." Police say they ripped her purse off her shoulder, breaking the strap, and tried to remove her hijab from her head.
Seweid exited at Grand Central and reported the incident to police. The suspects stayed on the train.
"No matter how 'cultured' or 'Americanized' I am, these people don't see me as an American," Seweid wrote on Facebook. She told the Daily News that she was born in Williamsburg to Egyptian parents.
"Nobody even offered to help an 18-year-old girl," her father, Sayeed Seweid, told the News. "That means something. Her phone was dying. You offer help—it doesn't matter the race, religion, our country."
On Friday, Seweid reportedly sat with police officers and tried to help identify the men on surveillance video. As of Saturday afternoon, no arrests have been made.
Reports of hate crimes have increased drastically across the five boroughs in 2016—as of November 13th, 328 hate crimes had been committed in the city this year, compared to 250 during the same period in 2015. As of November 13th, there have been 25 hate crimes against Muslims in the city, a 108 percent increase from last year.
"Trump['s] America is real and I witnessed it firsthand last night!" Seweid wrote on Facebook. "Please stay safe everyone & never let anyoen take your rights away."
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bias crime
donald trump
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Gaby Del Valle
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