April 21, 2024
NEW YORK – New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams immediately launched the next assertion in response to the continuing protests occurring at Columbia College:
“I’m horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and across the Columbia College campus — like the instance of a younger girl holding an indication with an arrow pointing to Jewish college students stating ‘Al-Qasam’s Subsequent Targets,’ or one other the place a lady is actually yelling ‘We’re Hamas,’ or one other the place teams of scholars are chanting ‘We don’t need no Zionists right here’ — and I condemn this hate speech within the strongest of phrases. Supporting a terrorist group that goals to kill Jews is sickening and despicable. As I’ve repeatedly mentioned, hate has no place in our metropolis, and I’ve instructed the NYPD to analyze any violation of regulation that’s reported. Relaxation assured, the NYPD is not going to hesitate to arrest anybody who’s discovered to be breaking the regulation.
“We is not going to be a metropolis of lawlessness, and people skilled agitators looking for to grab the continuing battle within the Center East to sow chaos and division in our metropolis is not going to succeed.
“I do, nevertheless, wish to be abundantly clear: Columbia College is a non-public establishment on personal property, which suggests the NYPD can’t have a presence on campus except particularly requested by senior college officers. The NYPD has an elevated presence of officers located across the campus to guard college students and all New Yorkers on close by public streets, they usually stand prepared to reply if one other request is made by the college, as they did on Thursday, when the NYPD efficiently cleared encampments on Columbia’s South Garden with none accidents.
“I urge Columbia’s senior administration officers to enhance and keep an open line of communication with the NYPD to make sure the security of all college students and workers on campus, in addition to for the security of all New Yorkers.
“I do know the battle within the Center East has left many people grieving and indignant. New Yorkers have each proper to specific their sorrow, however that heartbreak doesn’t give anybody the proper to harass or threaten others or to bodily hurt somebody they disagree with.
“As mayor of the town with the most important Jewish neighborhood on the earth exterior of Israel, the ache these protests are inflicting Jews throughout the globe just isn’t misplaced on me, particularly as we begin Passover tomorrow night. I additionally see and listen to the ache of these protesting in assist of harmless lives being misplaced in Gaza.
“On this second of heightened pressure world wide, we stand united towards hate.”
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