The victim of a Jewish hate crime attack called out Democratic Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg for granting a plea deal to the man who assaulted him.
"Why is he getting a break? I really can’t fathom why he’s getting a deal. Me, personally, I wanted to go to trial, I wanted to see full justice," victim Joseph Borgen told the Manhattan Supreme Court Tuesday during the sentencing of his attacker, Waseem Awawdeh, who said after the attack that he "would do it again." Borgen was attacked during a May 2021 clash between supporters of Israel and Palestinians.
Bragg's office offered a plea deal of 18 months in prison in exchange for Awawdeh admitting guilt to attempted assault in the second degree as a hate crime as well as criminal possession of a weapon.
"No one should ever feel unsafe because of their religion, and we do not tolerate the antisemitic hate displayed by the defendant in this case," Bragg's office said in a statement.
Borgen argued the sentence is not enough and sends the wrong "message."
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