Attorney General James Stops Violence, Harassment, and Intimidation from New York Extremist Group
NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a settlement ending Betar US’s (Betar) campaign of violence, harassment, and intimidation against Arab, Muslim, and Jewish New Yorkers after an extensive investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that the group repeatedly targeted individuals based on religion and national origin. Betar is a New York-based organization labeled an “extremist group” by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for its “embrace of Islamophobia and harass[ment] of Muslims.” The OAG investigation uncovered evidence of Betar’s widespread persecution of Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish New Yorkers, driven by broad hostility and animus toward several protected groups, in violation of New York civil rights laws. The settlement requires Betar to immediately cease instigating or encouraging violence against individuals, threatening protesters, and harassing individuals exercising their civil rights, and subjects the organization to a suspended $50,000 penalty that will be enforced if Betar violates the agreement. Betar is seeking to dissolve its not-for-profit corporation and has indicated to OAG that it is winding down operations in New York.
“New York will not tolerate organizations that use fear, violence, and intimidation to silence free expression or target people because of who they are,” said Attorney General James. “My office’s investigation uncovered an alarming and illegal pattern of bias-motivated harassment and violence designed to terrorize communities and shut down lawful protest. This behavior is unacceptable, and it is not who we are as New Yorkers. My office will continue to use every tool available to protect all New Yorkers’ civil rights and public safety.”
The OAG launched an investigation in March 2025 after receiving multiple complaints alleging that Betar and its members engaged in violent and threatening conduct directed at Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish individuals, particularly in connection with protests related to Israel and Palestine. Betar is a New York not-for-profit organization that describes itself as an “activist movement” and has publicly called on supporters to “attend and disrupt” pro-Palestinian protests. Despite soliciting donations in New York through its website and social media, Betar has never registered with OAG’s Charities Bureau.
The OAG investigation determined that Betar engaged in a pattern of violence and harassment driven by explicit hostility toward protected groups. The OAG uncovered numerous public and private statements by Betar leadership and members expressing anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim animus, including repeated use of slurs and demeaning language. For example, members repeatedly referred to keffiyehs – traditional Palestinian scarves – as “rape rags” and claimed that Muslims “hate America.” Betar publicly circulated content celebrating violence against Palestinians, including social media posts mocking civilian deaths, declaring hatred toward Gazans, and calling for further bloodshed. In one instance, the group posted that the number of babies who had died in Gaza was “not enough,” writing, “we demand blood in Gaza.”
The investigation also determined that Betar targeted Jewish individuals who expressed views that the group opposed. Betar threatened to place Jewish activists on lists to be shared with foreign authorities in an effort to bar them from travel and intimidate them into silence. In private communications, Betar leadership wrote, “of course we place Jews on lists,” and confirmed that the group targeted Jewish New Yorkers they deemed insufficiently aligned with Betar’s extremist ideology.
Betar also used its public platform to threaten individuals with deportation and attempt to suppress protected speech. The organization repeatedly threatened to report protesters to immigration enforcement officials and publicly claimed that it used facial recognition software to compile deportation lists for the federal government. Even though Betar later disavowed these claims, OAG found that this conduct was designed to intimidate protesters and unlawfully chill the exercise of First Amendment rights.
The OAG uncovered evidence showing multiple incidents of physical intimidation and assault. In early 2025, Betar-affiliated individuals repeatedly approached people perceived to be Muslim or supportive of Palestinian causes and attempted to force “beepers” onto them, an act intended to threaten and terrorize, referencing a recent overseas operation involving explosive pagers. At one New York City university, a Betar member repeatedly harassed students wearing hijabs or keffiyehs, following them and demanding they accept a beeper despite their visible distress. In another incident, a Betar member followed a Jewish academic on a public street, forcibly shoved a beeper into his pocket against his will, and verbally abused him. The OAG found that Betar members repeatedly threatened academics with ongoing harassment and explicitly warned at least one individual that Betar followers would come to their home.
The OAG investigation also found that Betar promoted and encouraged violence, even urging its members to bring weapons to protests, including knives, pepper spray, and attack dogs. Ahead of a February 18, 2025 protest in Brooklyn, Betar called on supporters to “fight back” against what it labeled “terrorists” and urged followers to bring pit bulls. Violence erupted at that protest, during which at least one person was stabbed. Betar subsequently boasted online that protesters had been beaten, and privately celebrated injuries inflicted during the event. After a member of Betar’s national leadership physically struck a woman wearing a keffiyeh, the group celebrated the incident online, sharing video footage on its social media.
Attorney General James asserts that Betar’s conduct has consistently violated New York’s civil rights laws, including statutes that prohibit bias-motivated violence, harassment, and intimidation, as well as discrimination against individuals exercising their rights to protest and engage in peaceful assembly. Under the agreement announced today, Betar is permanently barred from instigating or encouraging violence, physically assaulting or threatening individuals, harassing protesters, or damaging others’ property based on protected characteristics. Betar agreed to a suspended $50,000 monetary penalty, which will be enforced if the organization violates the agreement, and must submit annual compliance reports to OAG for three years. If Betar fails to comply, Attorney General James may immediately pursue enforcement, additional penalties, and further legal action.
