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<\/p>\nGay Afghan Refugee Charged With Assaulting Police Officer at D.C. Betsy DeVos Protest<\/b><\/p>\n
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A gay<\/a> refugee from Afghanistan<\/a> has been arrested for assault during\u00a0a February 10 <\/span>protest against<\/b><\/a> Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos<\/a> in Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/p>\n DeVos was physically blocked <\/a>by protesters at the entrance to Jefferson Middle School Academy.<\/span><\/p>\n 32-year-old Bilal A. Askaryar, who fled Afghanistan in 1990 fearing persecution and death from the Taliban, was charged with assaulting a police officer and failing to obey a lawful command of an officer.<\/span><\/p>\n The Washington Blade <\/em><\/a><\/b>reports:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c[T]he defendant (Askaryar) along with several other protesters blocked the driveway to the parking lot of the school and blocked the path of Secretary of Education B. Devos\u2019 vehicle,\u201d a police affidavit in support of Askaryar\u2019s arrest says.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe defendant (Askaryar) and the other protesters got violent and started pushing and shoving the police officers on the scene,\u201d the affidavit says. It says that Askaryar was caught on video<\/a> pushing a police sergeant and a police officer.<\/span><\/p>\n Court records show Askaryar is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court for a misdemeanor status hearing on March 17. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.<\/span><\/p>\n Askaryar has since become a U.S. citizen and has received a master\u2019s of arts degree from American University\u2019s School of International Service. In a column in the Blade<\/a> last month,\u00a0he criticized the controversial executive order seeking to temporarily ban refugees from seven mostly Muslim countries.<\/span><\/p>\n Protesters clash with police and Sec. DeVos security detail ahead of school visit. @ABC7News<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TKIzq8xwMt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) February 10, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The post Gay Afghan Refugee Charged With Assaulting Police Officer at D.C. Betsy DeVos Protest<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\nRELATED:\u00a0Matt Baume Explains the Immediate Danger Betsy DeVos Poses to LGBT Students : WATCH<\/em><\/a><\/h2>\n
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