Green Party congressional candidate Matthew Arndt was arrested Thursday on suspicion of disorderly conduct with a hate crime enhancer after he screamed antisemitic obscenities at an Israeli American man at a gas station, Mequon Police said.
Arndt was taken into custody after the confrontation, which was recorded on video obtained exclusively by the Heartland Post Thursday morning.
In the video, Arndt can be heard yelling profanities at the man, including “F*** Israel,” and calling him a traitor. He also identifies himself by name and says he is running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District.
The confrontation apparently began in traffic after Arndt became triggered by anti-Hamas bumper stickers on the man’s vehicle. The man followed Arndt to a gas station, where Arndt got out of his SUV and continued shouting and making an obscene gesture, the report said. The man told a reporter he had been driving his child to school.
Arndt, 54, of Mequon, is the Green Party nominee for the U.S. House seat held by Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman. He advanced unopposed from the Aug. 11 Green primary and is also facing Democrat Brad Smith and independents Mike Thurow and Elizabeth Fitzgibbon in the Nov. 3 election.
A first-time candidate, Arndt filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission in May and has described himself as a father, husband, certified public accountant, financial adviser and small-business owner. His campaign website lists opposition to corporate concentration and U.S. support for Israel among his themes.
