Gov. JB Pritzker, community leaders denounce rise in hate since Israel-Hamas war

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. JB Pritzker and community leaders on Monday drew attention to the spike in hatred against the Arab, Muslim, and Jewish communities in Illinois and across the nation amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Pritzker said hate crimes against Arabs, Muslims, and Jews have increased in Illinois in the wake of the war.

"Hate has no home here in Illinois. It's a phrase I've used time and time again, but hate always has an insidious way of trying to move in," Pritzker said.

Multiple threats in southwest suburban Bridgeview last week left residents on edge and forced the closure of an all-girls Islamic day school on Friday.

A little more than a week ago, a 6-year-old Palestinian boy was stabbed to death and his mother was seriously wounded in Plainfield. Their landlord was arrested on murder and hate crime charges, accused of targeting them because of their ethnicity and Muslim faith.

"This is an accelerating rise of hate violence in America, and it's fueled by hateful portrayals and dehumanization of Arab Americans," said William Haddad, founding president of the Arab American Bar Association.

Pritzker, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and other officials reinforced the state will fight all forms of hate against any targets.