A woman from New York City has been charged with hate crimes and assault after a video went viral showing her allegedly throwing her phone and hurling a hot coffee onto a man and his 18-month-old son. The incident occurred at Edmonds Playground in Brooklyn, while 40-year-old Ashish Prashar was wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Arabic scarf. Prashar is not Palestinian — he is of Punjabi descent — but has been outspoken in his support of Palestinian rights and a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. (The keffiyeh is often worn at pro-Palestinian rallies as a show of solidarity.) Prashar told CNN the incident started after his young son approached another boy on the basketball court at the playground, which angered the other boy’s mother and she started yelling. The 40-year-old political strategist pulled out his phone to film the interaction. His video captures the moment the woman hurls her phone at him, followed by a takeout coffee cup. “You and your son get away,” the woman can be heard yelling. Prashar wrote on Instagram that the woman called him and his son “terrorists” and “dogs.” (…) Hadasa Bozakkaravani, 48, was arrested on Nov. 21 and was charged with four hate crimes, as well as assault, menacing, aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. She was arraigned that same day and pleaded not guilty to all 14 charges, according to online court documents.
via globalnews: N.Y. woman charged with hate crimes in hot coffee attack on father, toddler