Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D) blasted the silence on the part of New York City mayoral candidates after a video circulated online showed a bloodied Jewish man on the run from violent pro-Palestinian activists in Manhattan.
“Does anyone know if a single NYC mayoral candidate has spoken out against the repeated attempts by pro-Palestinian agitators to lynch Jews in broad daylight on Manhattan streets?” Hikind asked on Twitter on Wednesday.
“Oh I know,” he wrote mockingly, “how about a statement about ‘violence on both sides’?”
“Pathetic!” he added.
Hikind, a renowned Jewish rights activist and founder of the advocacy group Americans Against Antisemitism, was referring to pro-Palestinian protestors, some draped in Palestinian flags, surrounding a Jewish man covered in blood who had sought safety at a department store on Tuesday.
After police arrived, protestors cursed the officers and refused to clear the scene, with one attempting to use a bicycle to prevent officers from entering the store.
The incident followed a gathering of pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the city’s Israeli consulate, advocating for the genocide of Jews as they chanted, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — a popular anti-Israel chant implying that “Palestine” rests between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, leaving no room for the current State of Israel.
Subsequently, viewers of the minute-long clip took to social media to voice their shock.
“We’re literally lynching Jews in broad daylight,” wrote one Twitter user. “America 2021.”
“Looks like they are hunting Jews in NYC,” wrote another user. “It must be Trump’s fault.”
“Jewish Lives Matter,” proclaimed another Twitter user. “The same people who call everyone racist, phobes, etc. are the ones attacking everyone. Interesting.”
“Maybe @SenSchumer will raise his voice about this,” wrote another. “Ya think?”
“Great job,” wrote another who included an “Antisemitism” hashtag while tagging New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).
But not all candidates were silent.
Replying to Hikind’s post, New York City Republican mayoral candidate Fernando Mateo expressed outrage over the incident while promising to restore safety to the city.
“This mayoral candidate condemns this reprehensible display of violence,” Mateo wrote. “Under Mayor Mateo there will be law & order. NYC ‘s streets will be safe again. ZERO tolerance for hate crimes.”
“De-Blasio’s revolving door of hate crime perps walking will END!” he added.
In another tweet, Mateo reaffirmed his unwavering support for the Jewish state.
“We stand with Israel!” he wrote. “Period.”
Earlier this week, Mateo blamed “radical left Democrats” for the uptick in crime in New York while calling for the city’s mayor’s dismissal.
“The unsafe situation is a product of the broken bail reform system that lets violent criminals roam the streets like wild animals,” Mateo said.
Last week, following the release of an alleged perpetrator behind a series of antisemitic acts of vandalism, Hikind blasted the court’s decision to forego bail.
“It is a horrible message to send out there: ‘Anti-Semites you can go and do your swastikas’; ‘you can go break [synagogue] windows’; ‘my God, there’s so much you can do and you’ll just walk free.’”
He also noted the apparent hypocrisy.
“Again, the double standard when it comes to the Jewish community,” he said. “If it was four black churches, I don’t think you’d have the same results.”
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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