A 64-year-old racist just attacked a Palestinian man at the Panera and I’m officially done with 2024

Can we just fast forward to New Year’s? It feels like we’ve all had enough of 2024’s chaos already. Is it really necessary for more drama to get added to our already overloaded sense of existential dread? Apparently, it is, because a 64-year-old woman went off on a Palestinian man and his pregnant wife at a Panera Bread in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago. Just when you think things couldn’t get crazier, they do.

On November 16, around noon, Alexandra Szustakiewicz allegedly started shouting at the couple, hurling insults and eventually becoming physical with them. The incident was recorded by the man’s wife and shared all over social media. In the one-minute video, you can see Szustakiewicz trying to hit the man, who blocks her punch and asks her what she’s doing. When she tries to charge at him again, she spills her drink all over the floor in the process. He then throws the cup at her, but it bounces off without much impact, making Szustakiewicz even angrier. She continues to escalate, threatening to call the police and making more attempts to confront the couple. Eventually, the situation gets out of control.

Police arrested Szustakiewicz a few days later, on November 19, at her home. She faces two felony hate crime charges and one charge of disorderly conduct. DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin condemned her actions, saying there’s no place for such behavior and prejudice in society. The report stated that Szustakiewicz’s actions were motivated by the couple’s perceived national origin, emphasizing that everyone deserves respect and civility, regardless of their background.

This attack is part of a disturbing trend of increasing violence against people perceived to be of Palestinian descent, fueled by the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Since the war broke out in October 2023, there have been several hate-motivated incidents. For example, three Palestinian college students in Vermont were shot in November, and a 6-year-old boy was fatally stabbed by his landlord because of his Muslim background. In another incident, a Palestinian-American man was stabbed in Austin, Texas, during a rally.

As for Szustakiewicz, she spent the night in jail and was granted pre-trial release on November 18. She’s been ordered to have no contact with the victims and is banned from returning to the Panera Bread where the incident took place. Her next court appearance is set for December 16.