Assistant Attorney General Highlights First-Ever Use of FACE Act for Civil Prosecution of an Attack on a House of Worship, Citing Violence and Antisemitic Threats at New Jersey Congregation.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a landmark civil enforcement action on Monday, filing a lawsuit under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act against pro-Palestine protestors who allegedly targeted a New Jersey synagogue during a November 2024 demonstration that turned violent.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon confirmed that this is believed to be the first time the FACE Act, a 1994 law previously used by the Biden administration primarily to prosecute anti-abortion activists, has been used for a civil action targeting an attack on a house of worship.
“In recent years, there have been numerous attacks on synagogues throughout the United States,” Dhillon stated during a press conference. “Yet there has been a lack of the use of the FACE Act to stop these heinous attacks.”
Dhillon criticized what she saw as a selective application of the law, saying, “The past administration only applied the FACE Act civil enforcement penalties to silence pro-life protestors while ignoring the same 1994 law was intended to protect pro-life crisis pregnancy centers and, importantly, houses of worship.”
The complaint alleges that the protestors “engaged in a coordinated effort to intimidate and disrupt Jewish worshipers at a religious event held at the synagogue Congregation Ohr Torah.” The incident reportedly included “physical assaults on worshipers Moshe Glick and David Silberberg, antisemitic and threatening chants, and defiance of police orders.”
Details of the violence outlined in the complaint are stark. Worshipers were allegedly targeted, with one defendant, Eric Camins, reportedly identifying David Silberberg as “the Jew” before another defendant, Altaf Sharif, placed Silberberg in a chokehold.
Furthermore, the protestors allegedly used “vuvuzelas, horns capable of causing hearing damage,” while shouting at Jewish residents. The group is accused of marching onto synagogue property, blowing the horns and shouting to disrupt a memorial service and a Torah sermon.
The lawsuit names six individual defendants, along with the New Jersey chapters of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and American Muslims for Palestine. The DOJ noted in the complaint that both organizations have a history of organizing anti-Israel protests that have involved “violence or incitement.”
Dhillon concluded the press conference by confirming that the DOJ has other ongoing FACE Act investigations underway.
READ :Iowa School Superintendent Arrested By ICE On Final Removal Order, Had Loaded Handgun
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
