Denver, CO, January 16, 2015…The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned an assault against a Jewish man in Boulder and welcomed law enforcement’s thorough investigation and arrest of two suspects on hate crimes charges.

According to police reports, on December 19, bar patrons approached the victim at the Sundown Saloon in Boulder, told him to take off his yarmulke (religious head covering) and then assaulted him. Police arrested two suspects and charged them with second-degree assault and a bias-motivated crime.

Scott L. Levin, ADL Mountain States Regional Director, issued the following statement:

We strongly condemn this appalling assault in which a Jewish man was allegedly targeted because of his religion. We applaud the Boulder Police Department for swiftly and thoroughly investigating the incident as a possible hate crime, and welcome the arrest of the suspects on bias-motivated crime charges.

Hate crimes not only affect the individual victim of the crime, but also resonate throughout the entire community. When a victim is targeted for a crime because of his or her actual or perceived religion, other members of that group and other groups may feel unsafe and unwelcome. The arrest and charges send the important message that hate crimes are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our community.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.