9-Year-Old Armenian Christian Boy Pepper-Sprayed in Jerusalem for Speaking English During Yom Kippur 

A 9-year-old Armenian Christian boy was pepper-sprayed in Jerusalem after a group of Jewish extremists confronted him as he rode his bicycle during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, according to journalists who reported the incident.

The boy, identified as William, was riding near Jerusalem’s Mamilla neighborhood while listening to music through headphones. During Yom Kippur, most traffic in Israel comes to a halt and many businesses close, making cycling on otherwise busy streets common, particularly among children and families.

The group approached William and demanded that he remove his headphones, Israeli Channel 13 journalist Yossi Eli reported.

After William complied, the group heard him speaking English. One of the attackers then shouted, “No English, Jews!” before spraying the child with pepper spray, according to the account.

Jerusalem-based Armenian journalist Kegham Balian also reported the attack and shared video from its aftermath. The footage shows William visibly distressed as his mother tries to calm him, telling him that his younger sister, Arev, is safe.

Eli said it was the second time William had been targeted. During the earlier incident, the boy was with his father, who intervened. William was alone when the latest attack occurred.

The journalist said security cameras captured the incident but that Israeli police later closed the case without making an arrest. William’s mother told Eli that her son has struggled to sleep since the attack.

The incident comes during continuing concern over harassment of Christians in Jerusalem, including members of the city’s centuries-old Armenian community.

In August, Israeli police arrested six suspects — five minors and one adult — accused of spitting at and throwing stones toward the Armenian Cathedral of St. James in Jerusalem’s Old City. Balian reported at the time that stones were also thrown toward the window of an Armenian woman who was recording the incident.

Later that month, four more people were arrested on suspicion of spitting at the cathedral.

The Cathedral of St. James is the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and stands at the heart of the Armenian Quarter, one of the four traditional quarters of Jerusalem’s Old City. Armenian clergy and residents have repeatedly reported incidents of spitting, verbal abuse and other harassment directed at Christians and Christian religious sites.

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