‘Sickening And Despicable’: NY Mayor Eric Adams Warns NYPD ‘Will Not Hesitate To Arrest’ In Continuing Anti-Israel Protests At Columbia

New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a condemnation on Sunday of the the “the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus” and warning that the NYPD “will not hesitate to arrest” anti-Israel protesters encamped at Columbia University as necessary.

Over the last week, the activists and protesters have gathered at the university in what they refer to as a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” demanding an end to the war in Gaza, chanting pro-Hamas slogans, cheering deaths of Israeli soldiers, burning flags, and many other actions that have drawn condemnation from the university and from the city government, including the Mayor.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress, too, have issued statements denouncing the protesters as “anti-Semitic” due to controversial chants praising Hamas and demanding Tel Aviv be burned down.

Adams said, “I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus — like the example of a young woman holding a sign with an arrow pointing to Jewish students stating ‘Al-Qasam’s Next Targets,’ or another where a woman is literally yelling ‘We are Hamas,’ or another where groups of students are chanting ‘We don’t want no Zionists here’ — and I condemn this hate speech in the strongest of terms.”

The mayor went on to note that law enforcement would respond to request from the university to have protesters remove, posting his remarks both in a thread on X and in full on his website.

I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus. Hate has no place in our city, and I have instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law they receive a report about and will arrest anyone found to be breaking…

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 21, 2024

We will not be a city of lawlessness, and those professional agitators seeking to seize the ongoing conflict in the Middle East to sow chaos and division will not succeed.

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 21, 2024

I do, however, want to be abundantly clear: Columbia University is a private institution on private property, which means the NYPD cannot have a presence on campus unless specifically requested by senior university officials.

For the safety of all New Yorkers, I urge Columbia’s…

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 21, 2024

The NYPD has an increased presence of officers situated around the campus to protect students and all New Yorkers on public streets, and they stand ready to respond if a request is made by the university, like was done this past Thursday.

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 21, 2024

I know the conflict in the Middle East has left many of us grieving and angry. New Yorkers have every right to express their sorrow, but that heartbreak does not give anyone the right to harass or threaten others or to physically harm someone they disagree with.

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 21, 2024

As mayor of the city with the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel, the pain these protests are causing Jews across the globe is not lost on me, especially as we start Passover tomorrow evening. I also see and hear the pain of those protesting in support of…

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 21, 2024

In this moment of heightened tension around the world, we must stand united against hate.

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 21, 2024

Supporting a terrorist organization that aims to kill Jews is sickening and despicable. As I have repeatedly said, hate has no place in our city, and I have instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law that is reported. Rest assured, the NYPD will not hesitate to arrest anyone who is found to be breaking the law.

I do, however, want to be abundantly clear: Columbia University is a private institution on private property, which means the NYPD cannot have a presence on campus unless specifically requested by senior university officials. The NYPD has an increased presence of officers situated around the campus to protect students and all New Yorkers on nearby public streets, and they stand ready to respond if another request is made by the university, as they did on Thursday, when the NYPD successfully cleared encampments on Columbia’s South Lawn without any injuries

Read more from the Office of the Mayor here.

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