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NYPD: Astoria food vendor struck by eggs as part of anti-Muslim hate crime

Yelp

Aug. 9, 2017 By Jason Cohen

An Astoria food vendor was pelted with eggs early Monday morning that included anti-Muslim messages wrapped around them, according to police.

Farid el-Baghdadi, 56, was struck by eggs while working his halal food truck around 12:30 a.m. Monday on Steinway Street near 25th Avenue. Attached to one of the eggs was an anti- Muslim and anti-Arab message, police said.

According to reports, one of the messages read “F–k Arab. F–k Muslim.”

El-Baghdadi was not hurt.

No arrests have been made and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.

Councilman Costa Constantinides condemned the attack.
“This vicious attack is hateful and derogatory,” Constantinides said. “Astorians deserve a safe community without fear of assault or harassment because of their religion. As hate crimes have risen this past year, we reaffirm our core American beliefs in justice and unity, and stand against hatred and bigotry.”

The Daily News was first to report the story.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

28 Comments

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Anonymous

Wait for a second- how long have they been working there? Have they been pelted with eggs before in that area? When was the last time you’ve heard this story before as neighbors dropped eggs on top of a vendor like that? Suppose that wasn’t an Arab vending store. Suppose that was a Greek/Italian/Asian/Latin/etc. vending store and they were pelted with eggs. What then? What type of message are we sending to our community? The people who dropped those eggs should be arrested anyway. We can’t tolerate any form of racial discrimination no matter who does what. This should be resolved as soon as possible.

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Atia

For those of you reading this article and some of the excuses people are making about these unfortunate and hurtful acts of hate and wondering what can you do to help and send a clear message to these hate groups and/or people is to be kind and respect one and other for a better tomorrow. Support their local business any way you can. Shop and eat at their places of business. Buy from the array of middle eastern and north African food trucks, markets, eateries and stores. Kind words and gestures go a long way. Send a clear message that as Astorians we will not tolerate hate and bigotry in our community and together we will stand and rise.

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Anonymous

Maybe it WAS from another food cart .Competing vendor clashes go back decades..GreekAmerican singer Jimmy Santis created a hilarious parody about this years ago(back then it was hot dog stands). God bless all hardworking vendors.Keep on keeping on,as your predecessors did; you’ll be ok. Egg throwers can aim at a robber,not hardworking people! Or save the egg,call police.

Reply
V

Time for Civil War or amicable divorce! Chose one Globalists! We cannot live under your Pathological Altruistic society any longer. I’m sure you feel the same way about us. Therefore we ask that you either secede from the Union or get out of our way.

Reply
Black and white

Just like the American sheep you’ve all become. Who would write anti Muslim shit on an egg and throw it at a food truck in the middle of a middle eastern, mostly Muslim block??? Think you stupid smart people talking shit. You may have grammar skills but you don’t have street smarts. 100%. It was the guy across the street with the other food cart. Guy was moving in on his block. Fooled you guys didn’t they. Just like they will always fool you. Can’t fool me though. I know a fake smile when I see one

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Anonymous

It’s not being racist, it true they get all the attention and they are destroying America, I have frd that are mulism but they have class. They need to respect America, they might had done something bad to those people so it’s two part to the story.. we don’t talk anything or do anything how astoria crime rate is up, we need not cops n keep these low life off the street..

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Old Astorian

I was born in Queens, my parents born in Brooklyn of Italian IMMIGRANTS, and I have zero “respect for America” anymore, mostly because of idiots like you. Also, check your numbers, crime in the 114 is waaaay down. As I said before, educate yourself a little bit, the public library is a great place to to that.

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Poparoo 46

Hahahahahahahahah it’s not even Halloween maaaaaaaaaaan. Oh wait maaaaaaaaaan they don’t know Halloween maaaaaaaaan

Reply
nadia

I am shocked because that block is filled with North African and Middle eastern people and shops. I am glad no one was hurt badly. Who would throw eggs with hate messages from a 3-4 story building across the street? It is very sad and dangerous. The North African and Middle eastern people and business of Astoria is here to stay and growing every year. They are raising families, opening shops, schools, and centers, renting and buying homes throughout Astoria and will continue to be an even bigger part of Astoria’s future.

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Frances Michaels

I’m a GREEK IMMIGRANT and I came here in 1976…..and I RESPECT THIS COUNTRY AND APPRECIATE WHAT IT HAS OFFERED ME !! DO NOT BLOCK & TRASH THE STREETS !! I know first hand …since I lived on Steinway Str. for years !! You can twist words NOT FACTS !! When you leave your country and come to the U.S.A……..BETTER HAVE RESPECT and APPRECIATE what you are given and what yours could NOT !!

Reply
ali

Educate yourself and look at a map. North Africa countries include Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, etc.

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Frances Michaels

Ali…..so it’s mostly North African & Middle Eastern ??? You bet your last dollar they don’t say North African when you ask them where they are from !!?? They name their own country individually !! NOT the Continent !! No matter what country….All these people have AFRICAN ROOTS !!! LEARN HISTORY !!!

Reply
waled

“As the seafaring civilizations of the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Muslims and others facilitated communication and migration across the Mediterranean Sea, the cultures of North Africa became much more closely tied to Southwestern Asia and Europe than Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Anonymous

What about them taken over Astoria, what about them telling us hateful sh88t. If they come here they need to respect America, if I want to know a party I can’t but they can close the street down to pray n that’s ok…..

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Old Astorian

“Them”. . .”taken over Astoria?” “Know a party” what the @!$% does that even mean? I’ve never once seen a street closed down for prayer.

Educate yourself a little bit, you racist clown.

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Frances Michaels

Old Astorian !??…. Hey !! …..and you have a problem with people saying for them to be respecting America
How about you get the F____ outta of Astoria !!???

Reply
TJ

I’d reply to your blatantly apparent xenophobic rhetoric, but considering that you are incapable of stringing together a barely intelligible sentence (forget that it is grammatically atrocious, as well), I am thus unable to determine whether you’re just a dumb, racist POS or a really dumb, racist POS.
I’ll go with the latter.
Go get yourself an education.

Reply
Eggsactly

Oh man. He should of scrambled those eggs up and mixed it with the rice and chicken….mmmmmm??

Reply

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