Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is calling for state officials to fire a Department of Labor employee accused of pulling a Muslim woman's hijab off her head and throwing it on the ground.
Baraka says the unidentified Employment Services worker mocked a woman's faith at the city's One-Stop Career Center Dec. 5 before snatching her hijab.
Newark police arrested the employee and banned him from the business.
Baraka says that's not enough. The mayor believes Essex County prosecutors should have charged the man with a hate crime. He's asked U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman to investigate the incident.
A Department of Labor spokesman says the employee has been suspended without pay and the state agency is pursuing his termination in accordance with department policy.
