Woman faces hate crime charges after confronting man wearing ‘Palestine’ shirt

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. (AP) — Authorities say a suburban Chicago woman faces hate crime charges for allegedly confronting a Palestinian American man wearing a sweatshirt with “Palestine” written on it and trying to knock a cellphone out of his pregnant wife’s hands as she recorded the encounter. The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office says 64-year-old Alexandra Szustakiewicz appeared in court Monday for her arraignment on two felony hate crime counts and a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. The State’s Attorney’s Office says Szustakiewicz was at a suburban Chicago restaurant on Saturday “when she confronted and yelled expletives at a man regarding a sweatshirt he was wearing with the word Palestine written on it.” The man tells the Chicago Sun-Times that Szustakiewicz hit him in the face.