Israeli flag stolen from Maryland medical office, doctor demands suspect be charged with hate crime
One Maryland doctor is speaking out after he had an Israeli flag stolen from his office, demanding the perpetrator be held responsible for a hate crime.
Dr. John Parkerson caught the thief on camera stealing an Israeli flag flying in front of his office in Baltimore. He joined "Fox & Friends First" to explain why he believes the suspect should be held responsible for a hate crime.
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"It's absolutely hateful. It's the same fellow… it's my business, my property," Parkerson told Todd Piro on Friday. "The anger in his face, you can see it's just awful."
"I feel violated," he continued. "It's just an affront… to decency. It's evil. This is a hate crime. I've got my guard up, but I'm not going to be intimidated by this."
Parkerson first caught a thief ripping an Israeli flag down in May, and most recently another incident occurred on Monday.
Piro noted that Parkerson is not Jewish and asked him why it was important to him to take a stand in favor of the Jewish State following Hamas' October 7 massacre as war continues to rage in the Middle East.
Hamas fighters slaughtered more than 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages to the Gaza Strip during the terror attack.
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"I've got other flags flying in front of the office for decades, and after October 7th, I just thought it was the right thing to do to support the Jewish and Israeli community," Parkerson said.
"I've got relatives and friends and colleagues that are Jewish. My wife is a good Catholic woman, and she worked at a Jewish hostel for years. We clearly have some sympathy to the Jewish people. I didn't do it to antagonize anybody."
"I just wanted to show some support, and this is what happens," he continued. "I think I've got a right to express my opinion and… not be violently attacked like this."
Despite the incident, Parkerson said he would continue to show his support for Israel as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continues its war in Gaza to eradicate Hamas.
"The new flag's up, and we're going to keep moving," Parkerson said. "We're not going to be intimidated by this, this criminal."
Fox News' Ruth Marks Eglash contributed to this report.