US Congressional Candidate Arrested for Hate Crime After Anti-Israel Tirade

A Green Party candidate for Congress in Wisconsin, Matthew Arndt, was arrested on suspicion of a hate crime following a verbal assault on an Israeli father driving his son to school. The incident occurred Thursday morning in Mequon, a Milwaukee suburb. Arndt was recorded shouting anti-Israel slurs at the father, whose car displayed a "F*** Hamas" sticker with an Israeli flag. The father reported that Arndt tailgated him, then pulled alongside, rolled down his window, and cursed Israel and Jewish people before swerving erratically in front of him. Fearing for his safety, the father followed Arndt to a gas station, where he confronted him and began recording.

During the confrontation, Arndt was heard denouncing the "Israeli lobby," shouting "Free Palestine," and identifying himself. The Israeli father, who has lived in the U.S. for 12 years and lost over 100 relatives in the October 7th Hamas attacks, responded sarcastically. He stated the sticker was directed at Hamas, not Palestinians, and expressed dismay that someone behaving this way would run for Congress. His young son, who was in the car, became distressed.

Arndt, a 54-year-old accountant and investment advisor, claimed the Israeli man had followed and harassed him. He apologized for his behavior but maintained his message was directed at Israel, not Jewish people, and that his only mistake was not delivering it more calmly. Police classified his remarks as antisemitic. While no indictment has been filed, Arndt's party condemned his actions, stating that "yelling curses at someone in a parking lot does not advance the cause." Arndt's campaign website calls for severing ties with Israel and advocates for a shared America, stating that "politics that teaches us to hate each other is not patriotism. It is poison."