Man says he was attacked for wearing 'Make America Great Again' hat
An art gallery owner says he was attacked by a group of people who yelled “F**** Trump” and assaulted him for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.
Jahangir “John” Turan, 35, was on Canal Street in Manhattan, N.Y. at around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday when the incident occurred. A spokesperson for the NYPD tells Yahoo Lifestyle he was “punched in the head” by “unknown individuals in an unprovoked manner.” The police department is currently investigating, but no arrests have been made and there is no description of the suspects available.
In a press conference held on Thursday, Turan — who is the owner of David Parker Gallery — said he just got off the subway and noticed “15 to 18 people hanging out at some sort of event.”
"One girl flipped my hat, and within five to eight seconds, I got pushed from the back of my face, and my face hit the scaffolding pole,” he recounted. “After I got bombarded, they said ‘f*** Trump...f*** you,’ [and were] chanting anti-Trump stuff.”
Turan then “got startled,” walked away and and called the police.
“It’s kind of ridiculous to get beat up like this for wearing a hat,” he said in the press conference, adding that he purchased the “Make America Great Again” hat earlier that day at Trump Tower, and wanted to put it on his TV stand at home — claiming he had no intention to wear it in New York City.
“It’s dangerous to wear a hat like this in New York City,” he said.
Turan is also unhappy that the police hasn’t been able to nab any of the suspects, and said he’s “very upset the NYPD has not made an arrest.”
The art gallery owner has visible bruising and swelling on his face — and what appears to be an injured eye — in the video of the press conference.
While he did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment, according to NBC New York, he says his “vision and retina are fine but he does have a fracture.”
Even though Turan said he wouldn’t normally wear a “Make America Great Again” hat in public, he isn’t afraid of airing his support for Trump. “I love President Trump,” he said in the conference. “I think he’s doing a good job.”
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