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Delta Worker Wearing Hijab Allegedly Attacked At JFK By Man Yelling 'Trump Is Here Now'
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 27, 2017
Modified Jan 27, 2017
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 27, 2017
Modified Jan 27, 2017
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A Delta airlines employee was attacked at JFK airport on Wednesday night by a man shouting anti-Islamic and pro-Trump slurs, according to the Queens District Attorney. Prosecutors say Robin Rhodes, 57, of Worcester, Massachusetts was in the airport waiting for a connecting flight when he allegedly approached the worker, who was wearing a hijab, in the Delta Air Lines Sky Club lounge at Terminal 2.
"Are you fucking sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?” Rhodes allegedly asked the woman, Rabeeya Khan, who was in her office at the time. Prosecutors say Rhodes then punched the door, which hit Khan's chair. When Khan asked what she had done to enrage him, he allegedly replied, "You did nothing, but I am going to kick your ass."
Rhodes then allegedly kicked Khan in the right leg, causing "pain and redness." When she tried to get away from him, Rhodes allegedly stepped into the office and blocked her from leaving. The D.A. says that an unnamed individual intervened, and Khan was able to get away from Rhodes, but that he followed her, "and got down on his knees and began to bow down in imitation of a Muslim praying and shouted, 'Fuck Islam, Fuck ISIS, Trump is here now! He will get rid of all of you! You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people! You will see what happens!'"
Rhodes was detained and arrested, during which time he allegedly told officers, "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head."
Rhodes is charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison.
America's 45th president has made tweets this morning repeating his voter fraud lies and attacking Mexico, but has not used his beloved social media platform to condemn this incident or other hate crimes perpetrated by his supporters.
Tagged
delta
donald trump
hate crime
hate crimes
islamophobia
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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