Ten years in prison for a wall painting: The cost of standing with Palestine in America

Human rights organizations say the U.S. is using Palantir and Babel Street AI tools to target participants in pro-Palestine demonstrations. Investigations suggest this is only part of a broader campaign to suppress protests and silence opponents of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

According to The Guardian, a court in Texas began proceedings earlier this month against the 32-year-old for painting a pro-Palestine graffiti mural.

The American man faces serious charges under hate crime laws for spray-painting anti-Israel graffiti on a wall. If convicted, he could face between two and ten years in prison as well as a fine.

He explained that human rights have always mattered to him, saying: “The dire situation of the Palestinian people must be addressed. They are facing military assault and imposed starvation. Israel has massacred tens of thousands of women, men, and children, and experts say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.”

He added: “Supporting people who are oppressed is something deeply rooted in me. When I see injustice, I believe it’s my duty to use my voice for those who don’t have a voice or a platform to speak out.”

The young man, who has been arrested and released several times as police shifted charges, said he lost his job when police and the FBI first showed up to arrest him in March 2024.

His lawyer argued that the government is trying to discredit him: “The real issue is how far the government is willing to go to silence anyone who opposes the genocide of Palestinians.”

Legal experts describe the trial as legally dubious and a serious threat to free speech.

They stress that misusing hate crime laws conflates the Israeli state with Judaism, effectively criminalizing any criticism of Israel and violating freedom of expression.

A hate-crimes researcher commented: “Charges like these, show how criminal law can be used to silence people.”

He added: “The concept of hate crimes has been stretched to align with extremely broad definitions of antisemitism. Now, even thinking about what is happening in Gaza is considered anti-Jewish.”

Experts note that the state of Texas has a deeply troubling history of abusing hate crime legislation.