(CLEVELAND, OH, 2/16/24) – The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) welcomes arrest of Mr. Alexander (Alec) Popivker, a well-known agitator on surrounding college campuses in the Cleveland area.
According to The Cauldron, Cleveland State University’s (CSU) student publication, the administration of the university sent out an email on Wed. Feb. 14th to campus community announcing the arrest of Popivker for aggravated menacing and ethnic intimidation.
Popivker has a long history of targeting Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims on campuses, at peaceful protests, Palestinian-owned businesses and even attempting to break into the Cleveland office of CAIR.
The arrest follows an investigation involving a video that went viral of two CSU students leaving the Student Center and Popviker filming them as he allegedly hurled insults at the two students.
The Cleveland chapter of the Jewish Federation initially shared the video on their Instagram account but removed it after being contacted by CAIR-Ohio and CSU. The Federation put out the following statement on Feb. 8,
“Earlier this week we re-posted a video that appeared on an account dedicated to fighting antisemitism. We appreciate that Cleveland State University took this matter seriously and investigated the incident immediately. While the words and actions of the two students on camera do reflect the growing tension on college campuses that must be addressed, it is unforgiveable that the exchange now appears to be manufactured by an individual who does not share our community’s values. In fact, the individual in question has been barred from attending Federation events for more than a year. Therefore we have removed the post and call on others to take similarly decisive actions against those who look to perpetuate hare through exploitive tactics.”
CAIR-Ohio, Executive Director Faten Odeh commented, “We welcome the arrest of this individual who has been terrorizing the Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim community. We hope that this is a demonstration of accountability that will prevent this individual and others from causing further trouble. Hopefully our students and business owners can feel safe at campus and at work now.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. CAIR-Ohio’s mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. CAIR-Ohio has offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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